Chocolate Extremes (Double Chocolate Cookies)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 9ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona, finely chopped, plus 6 ounces cut into ¼ to ½-inch chunks
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon brewed espresso
- 2large eggs, at room temperature
- 7tablespoons sugar
- 1½teaspoons vanilla extract
- 7tablespoons sifted cake flour
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 2cups coarsely chopped pecans
Nutritional analysis per serving (18 servings)
226 calories; 17 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 30 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, combine the finely chopped bittersweet chocolate, butter and espresso. Stir occasionally until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs and sugar and whip until the mixture is light in color and increases substantially in volume, about 10 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract. Stir in the melted chocolate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder and fold them into the chocolate mixture until just combined. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chunks.
- Step 3
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the paper, leaving about 2 inches between each. Bake until the cookies are slightly puffed and cracked on the outside but gooey inside, about 10 to 14 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets.
Private Notes
Comments
These cookies are lethally delicious. Not as time consuming as their creator, Wendy London, (not credited here) would have you believe. There is no need to chop up the nine ounces of chocolate in tiny bits to melt. Just throw big pieces into the double boiler and heat will do the rest. Nor do you have to apply a ruler to be sure you've chopped the 6 ounces into 1/2" chunks. Just eyeball it, and so what if they're smaller. The recipe makes way more than 18.
These cookies are really something special. Super good, uber-chocolatey. A shiny, crackly surface yields to a tender, brownie-like center. I used a combination of bittersweet, semisweet and milk chocolate b/c that's what I had in my pantry, and they were a big hit with the NYT Cooking staff.
Oh, lordy! Delicious and not cloyingly sweet. I made them with a gluten-free flour, as is my habit, and they were splendid. I did pinch some grains of salt on the top, and thought that added a lot to the flavor. I was lucky to have given away a dozen of these as Valentine's gifts, or else I'd have scarfed them all. Every recipient raved.
These cookies are a joy to make. I follow the recipe except to swap out the nuts for 1/2 + cup of dried cranberries or cherries because nuts are so challenging for some folks. Some suggestions for folks who had issues in the past: Sift, then measure the flour. Sifting the flour essentially controls for the fact that we’re working with volume, not weight in this recipe (unfortunately: @nytcooking, please fix this). 7T of sifted flour is almost a full T less than unsifted. Melt the butter before adding the chocolate, and then take the heat way down. Leave it alone for a minute and you will be able to stir it all together. These cookies do not spread much. If you want a larger cookie, use a larger scoop. I got 22 cookies using a 1.5 T scoop. I used cookie rings because I wanted a perfect circle for ice cream sandwiches and that worked well.
I only had semi-swee5 chocolate chips on hand and found the resulting cookies too sweet. Next time, I would enrich those with some coco powder or cacao and a little extra oil or butter. And the finishing salt shouldn't be considered optional. It's needed
We made them with AP flour and used bittersweet chips for the 6 ounces of chunks. We also ground a teaspoon of Voatsiperifery pepper and added it when we added the chocolate to the egg mixture - it gave them a nicely subtle bite. Terrific!