Triple Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookies Recipe


Today's recipe is for you coffee lovers. I had a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans on hand and thought it might be interesting to bake them into a cookie. A dark chocolate cookie. A dark chocolate cookie pumped full of lots of freshly ground espresso powder...


Whole wheat pastry flour, Alter-eco all-natural, unrefined sugar, chocolate coated espresso beans

I used a whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose flour. The more I use this flour for quick breads, cookies, and muffins, the more I love it. People think whole wheat and they think heavy - not so with whole wheat pastry flour. It is ground from a softer, starchier wheat berry which turns out a talcum soft, fine, off-white flour. It has less gluten than flour ground from hard wheat berries and is good for recipes where you want a tender crumb. Because it is a whole wheat flour it all of the wheat berry is used - the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. It is a whole food and all the good, nutritious parts are part of the final flour.



Cookie batter just before stirring in the espresso beans

Take a look here, the final dough is a thick and rich, creamy brown in color tinted by the cacao powder. It gives of a aura of dark chocolate spiked with the smell of the inside of a bag espresso beans. Every time I make cookies I have the same exact conversation with myself, right after I mix in the dry ingredients I say to myself, "I probably shouldn't sample the dough, it has raw eggs in it." And then I proceed to eat some regardless.

So, consider yourself warned - this is a cookie dough you can't resist sampling, raw egg roulette is in your future if you make a batch. Hopefully you have more willpower than I do and at the very least buy good, fresh, organic, free range eggs.



Fresh from the oven

Here's what the insides of the final cookies looked like. They were deliciously sophisticated in flavor with the crunch from the espresso beans playing off the dense cakiness of the cookie. Next time around I want a touch more ooey-gooey factor, so I'll stir in 3/4 of a cup of semi-sweet chips. I'll factor that into the recipe below.

Triple Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookie Recipe
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons freshly ground espresso powder
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking soda
3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1/2 cup natural cocoa or cacao powder (Scharffen Berger or Dagoba), not dutched

1 cup organic unsalted butter, room temperature (soft to the touch)
2 cups fine-grained natural granulated sugar (evaporated cane sugar) – for example, I love alter-eco brand, OR do 1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 large organic eggs
3 teaspoons high-quality vanilla extract

3/4 cup cup organic semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 ounces chocolate covered espresso beans

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Assemble dry ingredients: In a medium bowl whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cacao powder. Set aside.

Assemble the wet ingredients: In a big bowl or with an electric mixer beat the butter until it is fluffy and lightens a bit in color. Now beat in the sugar – it should have a thick frosting-like consistency. Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first egg gets incorporated before adding the next. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice as well. Add the vanilla and mix until it is incorporated.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix in about four waves. Stir a bit between each addition until the flour is just incorporated. You could add all the flour at once, but it tends to explode up and out of the mixing bowl and all over me every time I do that. At this point you should have a moist, brown dough that is uniform in color. Stir in the espresso beans and chocolate chips by hand and mix only until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Drop the cookies onto baking sheets: I like to make these cookies medium in size (they are rich!) - and use roughly one heaping tablespoons of dough for each one. I leave the dough balls rough and raggy looking - I never roll them into perfect balls or anything like that - this way each cookie will have a bit of unique personality.

Place the cookies in the oven: Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes on the middle rack. You don't want to over bake these cookies at all or they will really dry out. If anything, under bake them just a bit. When they are done, pull them out to cool.

Tip: If you don't want to bake all the cookies at one once you can freeze some of the dough for quick cookies later. Instead of placing the cookies in the oven put the cookie dough balls into a freezer-quality plastic bag and toss them in the freezer. You can bake straight from the freezer at a later date, up the baking time by a couple minutes to compensate for the frozen dough.

Big Batch: 2-3 dozen chunky, medium cookies.

Source:101cookbooks

Coconut Chocolate Pudding Recipe
by Heidi,101cookbooks


It took me almost thirty dollars in premium chocolate and four lackluster attempts to eventually come up with a chocolate pudding recipe special enough to share with you. I made not only bland, flat, and gelatinous puddings, but also runny and boring chocolate puddings before I finally turned out this keeper of a batch. It is deeply dark and impossibly chocolatety, rich, glossy, fragrant, and un-lumpy. I used a coconut milk base in place of dairy, and infused it with a whisper of warming spices to give it an unexpected, ambiguously exotic je ne sais quoi.

On my journey to the final recipe, I ran into a few issues and problems that needed to be addressed. I had a pudding in mind - it would be a serious and sophisticated dark chocolate pudding made with a coconut milk base, arrowroot would be used as the thickener, non-alkalized cocoa powder (not dutched) would be enlisted, as would a semi-sweet chocolate bar. I'm usually relatively close to the mark when I imagine how ingredients might come together into a final creation or recipe, but my first attempt here was remarkably off. The pudding took almost twelve hours to achieve any sort of set, and even then it was on the runny side. It dawned on me the acidity in the non-alkalized cocoa powder might be rendering the arrowroot thickener ineffective, so I corrected for that variable and made changes a bit at a time over the course of five batches until I finally had a chocolate pudding recipe that matched the one in my imagination.

So here it is! The great thing is it only takes a few minutes of active cooking time. You can play around with a few of the variables - for example, it might be fun to use one of those uniquely-spiced Vosges chocolate bars in place of the straight semi-sweet. If you want to use regular or low-fat milk, give it a go. You can use cornstarch, but it didn't deliver the smooth glossy texture and sheen that came with using arrowroot powder. I also mention a few other variables to play with in the recipe headnotes.

Sidenote: I like silky smooth puddings, my dad on the other hand can never get enough tapioca - there are stretches when I know he makes a batch a week. If you're interested I'll have him give me a lesson, and I'll pass along his recipe for the tapioca fans out there.



Coconut Chocolate Pudding Recipe

I used Scharffen Berger 62% semi-sweet chocolate in this pudding, I also did a batch with 70% - delicious. You can play around with a few of the variables here. For example, it might be fun to use one of the uniquely spiced Vosges chocolate bars in place of the straight semi-sweet. I used raz el hanout spice blend here - but you should feel free to experiment with your favorite curry spice blend. If you want to use regular or low-fat milk in place of the coconut milk, give it a go. For a more pronounced coconut flavor, you might want to add a small splash of coconut extract.

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (lite is fine), divided
3 tablespoons sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, sifted
1 teaspoon raz el hanout spice blend or curry powder, (optional)
3 tablespoons alkalized dutch-cocoa powder, sifted
1 3.5-ounce bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat.

While that is heating, in a seperate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, spice blend (or curry powder), and cocoa powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.

When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Turn down the heat to the very lowest setting. Now drizzle the arrowroot slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk whisking vigorously all the while. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat, continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. Place in a refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming press plastic up against the surface of the pudding. Serve dusted with the coconut flakes and a tiny pinch of spices (orcurry powder).

Serves four.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes Recipe
by Heidi,101cookbooks

Five reasons to make this Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake recipe:

- If, like me, you have a small mountain of summer squash in your kitchen - don't make the mistake of ignoring them. You have to understand, summer squash are sensitive and passive-aggresive. While they might be pert and vibrant when they first make the jump into your basket, it is all downhill from there as they wait impatiently to be turned into something spectacular. As the hours pass, they sullenly pout and begin the slowly but steady decline into a flacid, rubbery incarnation of their former self. Use them quickly, because as they sit there on your counter - mark my word, they are judging you.

- The chocolate. The chocolate factor here is high - an 8 on a scale of 10. The batter is a rich, deep, and dark ebony-brown and as if by some freak of nature - the chocolate chips are still melty and oozy two or three hours after the muffins come out of the oven.

- These muffins/cupcakes made me consider becoming a wrapper-chewer. Unlike Warren, who makes a habit of it, this is the first time I've really felt compelled to scrape the paper wrappers (of any muffin, cupcake, or baked good for that matter) clean with my teeth.

- The coconut factor. While the Rebar recipe calls for 3/4 cup of unspecified vegetable oil. I took this as an opportunity to use unrefined, fully-scented, coconut oil. It adds a layer of richness, moisture, and flavor that you wouldn't get otherwise. A hint of coconut scent will hits your nose before you take a bite, and permeates your house as these bake.

- So easy to make. I didn't even drag out the big electric Kitchen Aid mixer. Because the fats are liquid (or soft, in the case of the coconut oil), I didn't need the muscle power of the mighty mixer. It was refreshing to do everything by hand, with ease, the old-fashioned way.

A knock-out recipe from the Rebar Cookbook. I know this book can be hard to come by, but if you happen to come acros a copy, be sure to give it more than a glance.


Chocolate Zucchini Cupcake Recipe

1 1/2 cups (360 mL) brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 mL) melted butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) vegetable oil (hs note: I used unrefined, scented, all-natural coconut oil)
3 eggs
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
1/2 cup (120 mL) buttermilk
2 cups (480 mL) grated zucchini
1 cup (240 mL) chocolate chips
2 cups (480 mL) unbleached flour
1 cup (240 mL) cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) salt
2 tsp (10 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) allspice
1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease large muffin pans and line with muffin cups.

In a medium bowl mix together the sugar, butter and oil. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well Incorporated. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, zucchini and chocolate chips.

In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon batter into large muffin pans. Bake in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, while preparing the icing (hs note: I made these without the icing, also - don't overcook them or you will lose all the moist goodness - you want them to look almost done in the oven - they will continue to cook for a few minutes after you pull them from the oven from the residual heat).

Yields 9 large cupcakes or 20 standard cupcakes.

Moosewood Fudge Brownies Recipe
by Heidi,101cookbooks



It has been a while since I've written up any sweets, so I turned to my cookbook collection for a bit of inspiration. I thought it might be a day for a batch of cookies, but instead I ended up focusing on a classic fudge brownie recipe from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. These fudge brownies are packed with optional add-ins including freshly ground espresso beans, toasted walnuts, and mashed extra-ripe banana. Yum.

Let me back up for a minute. I know many of you are going to find this hard to believe, but I've never cooked anything from the Moosewood Cookbook. Mollie has over 6 million books in print, so it is quite possible I'm alone in this regard. Wayne's mom gave me a copy years and years ago, it is brimming with all the recipes that have become vegetarian staples - hummus, walnut pates, ratatouille, vegetable curries, enchiladas, vegetable egg rolls, cream of broccoli soup and the like. It is the book that millions of vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike have turned to over the past thirty years. This afternoon I took the plunge. Fudge brownies were the item of the day, but I have my eye on the Chilled Dill Soup for a hot day later this summer.

As far as brownies go, I wouldn't classify these brownies as dense, but they're certainly on the dense side of cakey, with a lovely, sophisticated crumb. The recipe calls for 5 eggs, so if you can imagine the way eggs impact the texture of your other baking endeavors (souffles or a quiche), you can imagine how using more or less eggs in a brownie recipe might impact its texture. This recipe seems to be on the upper end of the egg spectrum when it comes to brownies.

I love the crunch of the added walnuts, and recommend the banana-espresso addition for those of you who are looking to rid yourself of overripe bananas in something other than banana bread!



Moosewood Fudge Brownies

Heidi notes: I used 71% Valrhona chocolate. White whole wheat flour works great if you would like to substitute. I also added espresso powder, half of a large ripe banana, and about a cup of toasted walnuts (per Mollie's suggestions at the tail end of the recipe). I topped them with a sprinkling of walnuts before going in the oven as well.

Let soften: 1/2 lb. butter (don't melt it)

Melt: 5 oz. bittersweet chocolate. Let cool.

Cream the butter with 1 3/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar and 5 eggs. Add 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract. Beat in the melted, cooled chocolate and 1 cup flour.

Spread into a buttered 9x13" baking pan. Bake 20-30 minutes (hs note: mine took 30) at 350 degrees.

Optional: chopped nuts, or 1 tablespoon instant coffee, or 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange or lemon rind, or 1/2 teaspoon allspice or cinnamon, or a mashed over-ripe banana, or none of the above.

Yet another option: instead of uniformly blending in the chocolate, you can marble it. Add chocolate last, after the flour is completely blended in and only partially blend in the chocolate. It looks real nice.