I baked the morning away. Carefully following a recipe to the T, which I confess I haven't been doing lately. Martha Stewart's banana-chocolate chip-walnut cookie recipe I whisked together in one hurried minute... Not taking care to press down the brown sugar or level off my flour. But today... listening to John Mayer's "Heart of Life", I wanted to pay the deserved attention to my new cook book -- Great Cookies by Carole Walter. This book was recommended by my attending, who told me that she is the guru of all cookie gurus!
Tomorow, I will bring the yumminess to my team at the VA. I enjoy most of my co-workers, but my team this month has been particularly wonderful. They have made me laugh countless times when I felt like bursting into tears right in front of the computer. I suppose I shouldn't bring my personal life to work, but sometimes my personal life can't be drowned out by determination or fatigue. Just as I am about to put my head down and surrender under a cloud of sadness, they tease me with a silly joke and I laugh! Not out of politeness, but because... as John Mayer put it... "circle of your friends, will defend the silver lining."
Coconut Chocolate Devils. Great Cookies by Carole Walter
2 (2/3) C sweetened coconut flakes (17 ounce bag)
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/4 strained cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs
1 (1/3) superfine sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Pulse coconut in food processor 6 to 8 times or until medium chopped. Set aside
3. Strain together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
4. Melt butter in a bowl set over simmering water (make sure bowl does not touch water). Add chopped bittersweet/ unsweet chocolates to melted butter and stir together over simmering water, till they just melt. Remove from heat, keep warm.
5. Beat eggs until light, gradually add superfine sugar, taking about 2 min. Stop mixer and pour in butter/chocolate mixture, mix together until just combined. Add vanilla/almond extract.
6. Reduce mixer speed and mix in dry ingredients.
7. Let batter rest ~5 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Then sprinkle handfuls of coconut over batter, folding with spatula. You can fold in as thoroughly (or not) as you please.
8. Drop teaspoons of cookie until sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake ~10 minutes, until just set. They are still soft to the touch and will firm as they cool. Rest for 1-2 min before transfer to cool on racks.
Don't over bake, they come out soft in the middle like brownies :)
