Triple Chocolate Cookies

Back to school is cookie time at Mimi's Kitchen. When the kids were younger  cookies were a great surprise in their lunch box or a quick after school snack.  Although everyone is pretty grown up now, we are still busy baking cookies- some to send to Mini Me when she is away at college and some for Boy Mimi to grab on his way to soccer practice. Eric at Quirk Books was nice enough to offer me a new cookie book to review, and we can never say no to a new cookbook around here, especially one filled with cookies. The Cookiepedia by Stacy Adimando was the perfect book for us here at Mimi's Kitchen since everyone likes to bake cookies (except for Mr. Mimi, who just enjoys his title as official taste-tester).  

Stacy sure knows her cookies, The Cookiepedia got thumbs up from all four cookie bakers in the kitchen. Boy Mimi made the chocolate chip cookies and they really were perfect- crispy on the edges and chewy throughout, without being cakey or undercooked in the center. Mini Me made the Cornmeal Cookies with Rosemary. We all love anything made with cornmeal and these were no exception. They were light, buttery and crunchy, and the rosemary garnish complimented the lemon zest without tasting too floral.  Mimi Jr. and I made the triple chocolate cookies as the final test recipe. These cookies were a family favorite, fudgy and moist almost like a brownie, with a deliciously crackly top.

What we liked about this book beside the delicious and easy to follow recipes was that it included the required classics, like chocolate chip, as well as some new cookies that we can't wait to try, like the pistachio butter cookies. It was well organized by cookie category, from "buttery" to "fruity" to "fancy", and on the insides of the of front and back cover were helpful conversions and substitutions. All the cookies have a picture, so you know that your matcha cookies are actually supposed to be bright green, and the spiral binding allows the book to lay open flat to your recipe without the pages flopping over.

 

Triple Chocolate Cookies

     The Cookiepedia

1/34 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 Ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature

1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (8oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder. baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set  it

2. Set a small pot of water on the stove and bring it to a simmer.  Place choppe4d chocolate in a metal or heatproof blass bowl and set bowl top the pot. Stir the chocolate until it's fully melted and looks smooth. Remove from the heat. (We melted our chocolate in the microwave)

3. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed for several minutes, until they're light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix to combine.  Pour in the melted chocolate and continue beating.

4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips half at a time, and mix on low speed, until just incorporated.

5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for about 15 to 20 minutes, until it's firm enough to scoop.  Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper or siilicone baking mats.

6.Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on the sheets about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  They'll appear soft, but they'll firm up once cooled.  Set the sheet on a wire rack for a few minutes, then transfer the cookies directly onto the rack to cool completely.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

printable recipe

We all thought this was a great book to add to our cookbook shelf and would be a great gift for anyone, from a beginning baker to someone who wants to add some new recipes to their collection.  You can find this book at http://www.quirkbooks.com/, Amazon and Barnes & Noble