Dark Chocolate Cookies

Every cookie season —(meaning right now) — I make my usual stuff: Fannies (butter thumbprint cookies), Grand Finales, Peanut Butter, Jan Hagels. This year I’m also including Swiss Chocolate Almond cookies and Brownie cookies and this new addition to my cookie repertoire: Dark Chocolate cookies.

I got into the habit of baking cookies for Hanukkah and Christmas many years ago when newspaper columnists like me would deliver their articles by hand, typed on paper, to our editors. Back then we could actually develop a relationship with the editor and any other journalists sitting nearby.

That was back in the 1980s.

After some years the hard copy was replaced by a floppy disk and then a hard disk and then a thumb drive. But still, for most of us, whatever we wrote was delivered in person.

So I baked cookies and made up holiday baskets for everyone I knew in the various newsrooms of the various newspapers and magazines I wrote for.

Hundreds of cookies, every year.

The internet changed everything. No more deliveries. No more interactive relationships, although I do see (did see, before the pandemic) a few of the editors I submit work to, but of course, not everyone lives close enough.

And of course this means —- no more cookie baskets.

But that hasn’t stopped my baking habits. True, I don’t make as many cookies as I used to, but cookie season is cookie season, after all. So, thanks to a large freezer, I still bake plenty and cookie season baking means I will have a supply for a while.

I do give lots of cookies away to friends and neighbors and any people who might be stopping by like the plumber or UPS deliveryman. But mostly my family gets to eat them, plus my cousins who come for New Years and my brother and sister-in-law who live nearby.

Reason enough. And my house smells wonderful.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3/4 cup butter

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Confectioners’ sugar 

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together until thoroughly combined. Set aside. Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until soft and smooth. Add the brown sugar, sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is light and a uniform color. Add the dry ingredients and blend the ingredients to form a dough. Shape the dough into two logs with a diameter of about 1-1/2 inches. Wrap the logs and chill for at least one hour or until firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the logs into disks about 1/2” thick. Pace the disks on the parchment leaving about 1” space between each disk. Bake for about 15 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top.

 Makes about 40

Swiss Chocolate Almond Cookies

I know it's latke season and doughnut season. But in the larger world out there it's also cookie season.

Well, actually, for me it is always cookie season. When I was a kid my Mom baked cookies all the time and when we got home from school we had milk and cookies every day. That was the snack -- before the days of chips (potato, kale or otherwise in little bags) and frozen pizza.

My brothers taught me how to dunk.

So when cookie season comes around I feel nostalgic. Sure, I make the old family favorites. Fannies. Peanut butter cookies. Chocolate Chunk Grand Finale cookies. 

But occasionally I try something new. I'm not always happy with the results and most often I discard the recipe.

But these were wonderful. And also perfect for dunking.

 

Swiss Chocolate Almond Cookies

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 cups finely ground almonds (8 ounces)
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons sugar for rolling
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract)

In a food processor, pulse the chocolate until almost ground. Add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves and process on pulse to incorporate the ingredients until finely ground and well mixed. Place the mixture into a bowl, add the ground almonds and mix to blend the ingredients thoroughly.

In the bowl of an electric beater, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the 3/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in the extract and the chocolate-almond mixture.

Sprinkle a sheet of parchment paper with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Place the dough on top of the sugar. Place another piece of parchment paper on top. Roll or press the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 to 3/8 inch. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. Let the unbaked cookies air dry for at least 1-1/2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut out circles or shapes with a cookie cutter. Place the cut out cookies on the parchment paper, leaving room between each cookie for them to spread. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cookies cool on the sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 36 cookies