I was given this recipe from my sister who bought an entire book dedicated to cookies called The Golden Book of Cookies. Nuts, coffee and chocolate were an appealing combination so I asked her to send me the recipe so I could try it out.
We had to make some alterations to the recipe. One: all cookie recipes appear to be ridiculously sweet so we cut down on sugar and chocolate. My mother’s love of nuts and something crunchy knows no bounds, so of course extra nuts were added.
Makes: around 20 cookies
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20-25 minutes
Original Recipe:
2/3 cup (100g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 oz (350g) biitersweet (dark) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125g) butter
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
1 1/2 cups (150g) coarsely chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups (150g) coarsely chopped hazelnuts
1 cup (180g) semisweet (dark) chocolate chips
Altered Recipe:
2/3 cup (100g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
300g biitersweet (dark) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125g) butter
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
1 1/2 cups (150g) coarsely chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups (150g) coarsely chopped hazelnuts
+ extra chopped nuts ~ 50g more
Method
1. Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheight (170 degrees Celsius)
2. Set out two baking trays
3. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
4. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water
5. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and thick
6. Beat in the chocolate mixture, coffee granules and vanilla
7. Mix in the dry ingredients, pecans, hazelnuts and chocolate chips (if you want an extra chocolate kick)
8. Drop tablespoons of the dough 3 inches (8cm) apart onto the trays
9. Bake until lightly cracked on top, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to cool racks
Impressions:
I found these to be quite good if you like crunchy chocolate and nuts cookies, with a hint of coffee. With less chocolates added, it still has a great chocolate flavour but it doesn’t overpower the whole cookie. Quite an easy recipe to follow too.
I only had a horrible time trying to make them look nice and round, and with all the nuts it was quite a challenge. As you can see, I didn’t seem to fulfill my goal but they taste great nonetheless.
ohdenny 