In A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Zoe’s dad is named a “Biscotti Hottie” when he completes his Living Room University course in cookie making. While I’d never declare myself a hottie of any sort, I do make a mighty fine cookie.
Here’s a recipe I adapted from Baking Illustrated, by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine. (By the way, the popovers in that book are killer!)
Bada-Bings
Yields three dozen cookies, maybe a few more if you don’t eat any of the dough.
10 oz dark chocolate
1 1/4 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely ground coffee (like for espresso)
2 cups dried cherries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler (don’t microwave, the chocolate gets grainy).
- Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat just enough to incorporate.
- In medium bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and coffee.
- With your mixer running, add the melted chocolate in a steady stream. Lick fingers.
- Add flour mixture. When fully incorporated, add cherries.
- Wait. Let the dough sit out on the counter a while, maybe a half an hour – no timer? Sing “Forever in Blue Jeans” ten times. The dough will turn sort of fudgey. That’s what you want.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on lined cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes – they’ll look undercooked, but that’s good. They get a little firmer as they cool.
- Let these cookies rest on the sheets awhile before you transfer them to racks.
- Eat them. They are delicious warm and will keep in an air tight container for 3-4 days, I suspect. I can’t be sure. I always eat them before then.
These cookies are also very good with walnuts (add a cup or so) and you can substitute dried cranberries for the cherries.