Malika Ameen’s Chocolate Truffle Cookies

I’m really good at shopping. But shopping is awesome, so it’s super easy to be good at.

It’s also super easy to be too good at.

I found this recipe for Truffle Cookies on MarthaStewart.com and immediately bought $60 worth of chocolate on Amazon.com (oh crap it’s only $50 now… sadface..).

In my defense… it was for 64oz. of chocolate and it was all really, really, delicious chocolate.

And it was… y’know..  chocolate. I feel that’s good enough justification.

The chocolate I bought was E. Guittard to be exact. When your recipe consists of mostly chocolate, you gotta go for the good stuff. E. Guittard, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, Callebaut… mmm… my goodness I do believe I’m drooling.

You also don’t have to go for the high end stuff, just make sure you test the chocolate you use first. In your mouth. It’s really a wonderful way to test chocolate. They way it tastes in that moment, unadulterated by any other ingredients, is very similar to the way this cookie will taste out of the oven.

Except super gooey and brought together with a little bit of rich, wonderful, chocolate dough. A dough that is also made up of more chocolate, melted, and some cocoa because chocolate needs cocoa. A little cocoa on chocolate on chocolate action.

Then there’s an ingredient list the length of my arm. I know, I know, it seems a little bit crazy, but trust me, it’s worth it. There’s very little of each of the other ingredients as they’re all there to compliment the chocolate as opposed to overpower.

The spicy hit of cinnamon adds depth and the coffee, as always, makes the chocolate taste even more chocolatey.

To be honest, I don’t know what the cream of tartar is for. Maybe to stabilize what is essentially a mass of chocolate and eggs? I have no idea, but I’m not one to question a Top Chef: Just Desserts chef.

Those shows always make me question my baking abilities. Watching all those artisans do their thing makes me feel like a kid banging a whisk against a pot and calling it a souffle.

Maybe I’m actually terrible at this and my friends are all just way too nice to tell me the truth.

Eh.. it’s cool, I’ve got 32oz. of expensive chocolate on hand to cheer me up!

:D

Recipe from Malika Ameen via MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

• 17 ounces 58% cacao chocolate pistoles (or pastilles, discs or chips)
• 10 ounces white chocolate calets (or pastilles, discs or chips)
• 5 ounces 38% cacao chocolate pistoles (or pastilles, discs or chips)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (Dutch process)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (preferrably Veitnamese cinnamon)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 1/8 teaspoons Trablit or pure coffee extract
• 2 3/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup coarse sanding sugar

Directions

1. Place 5 ounces of the 58% cacao, white chocolate, and 38% cacao on a cutting board; very coarsely chop chocolate, leaving a third of the pieces whole. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt; set aside.
3. Set a heatproof bowl over (but not touching) simmering water. Add remaining 12 ounces 58% cacao, unsweetened chocolate, and butter; let melt, stirring, until well combined.
4. Transfer chocolate to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and yolks; blend until just combined. Add superfine sugar, Trablit, and vanilla; mix to combine. Add flour mixture and mix to just combine, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add reserved chopped and whole chocolate pieces; mix to just incorporate. Cover and transfer dough to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat a convection oven to 325 degrees or a conventional oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats.
6. Place sanding sugar in a shallow dish. Fill a second shallow dish with water. Using a 3/4-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop out dough; press down on tops of dough with your thumb. Dip bottom of each portion of dough in water and then in sanding sugar; place on prepared baking sheets. (Alternately, you can use a pastry brush to brush water on the bottom of the cookies to make sure you don’t get too much water on them.)
7. Transfer to oven and bake for 4 minutes in a convection oven or 3 minutes for a conventional oven. Rotate baking sheet and continue baking until cookies are just set (they will still look slightly wet), about 3 minutes for convection or 2 to 3 minutes for a conventional oven. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.

Makes approx. 4 dozen cookies. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

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