Best Chocolate Chip/White Chocolate Cappuccino Cookies

Adapted from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=chocholate%20chip%20cookies&st=cse
and
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/02/cappuccino-cookies-with-espresso-and-white-chocolate/

Yield: 34 4 inch (2 oz) cookies

17 oz AP flour (can use half cake, half bread if on hand)

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons coarse salt

2.5 Tbsp instant espresso powder

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter at room temp (30 mins after chopping)

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs at room temp

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 pound chocolate (half white choc chunks, half chopped choc covered espresso beans)

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, instant espresso, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Bake until they puff up and still have moist streaks (will continue to cook as they rest) for about 15 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Notes:

• Can make smaller--1.75 oz
• BEST cookie recipe
  

Alton Brown Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/07/the-chocolate-chip-cookie-debate-part-1/
Notes:

• Melted butter in cookie
  
• Looks pretty but bakes up DRY (tried 2x)
• Do NOT make again
  

ATK Make Ahead Chocolate Souffle

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into half inch sticks
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange liqueur , preferably Grand Marnier
6 large egg yolks
8 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1.Coat eight 1-cup ramekins with 1 tablespoon butter, then coat inside of dish evenly with the 1 tablespoon sugar; refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Melt chocolate and remaining butter in medium bowl set over pan of simmering water. Turn off heat, stir in salt, vanilla/espresso mixture, and liqueur; set aside.

3. Bring the 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons water to boil in small saucepan, then simmer until sugar dissolves. With mixer running, slowly add this sugar syrup to egg yolks; beat until mixture triples in volume, about 3 minutes. Fold into chocolate mixture. Clean beaters.

4. Beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat to soft peaks; add confectioners’ sugar; continue beating to stiff peaks. (Mixture should just hold the weight of a raw egg in the shell when the egg is placed on top.)

5. Vigorously stir one-quarter of whipped whites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold remaining whites into mixture until just incorporated. Fill each ramekin almost to rim, wiping excess filling from rim with wet paper towel. Run your finger around the edge of each ramekin; this will help the souffle to rise more evenly. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours, but for up to 2 days (you can freeze them longer than two days but may not achieve the same lift upon baking).

6. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until fully risen, about 16 to 18 minutes. (Soufflé is done when fragrant and fully risen. Top should be firm but center should still be jiggly. Use two large spoons to pull open the top and peek inside. If not yet done, place back in oven.) Serve immediately.

Notes:

• Made with Charles on 5/8/2011
• In small oven set at 400 degrees, baked quickly (were ready in <10 minutes, WATCH THE OVEN)
• Serve with a creme anglaise
• Flavor the creme anglaise next time (infuse the cream with orange?)
• Makes ~10 souffles
  

Baked Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/11/baked-black-forest-chocolate-cookies-recipe.html

The authors of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, this week's Cook the Book pick, bemoan the unfortunate American translations of that German classic, Black Forest cake. All too often, it's sorry sandwiches of dry chocolate sponge and gloopy cherry preserves, smeared in "whipped topping."

Today's recipe uses dried cherries and "utmost respect" for the original to achieve a condensed version of the German dessert favorite. Black Forest Chocolate Cookies are deeply chocolatey, and studded with white chocolate chips and those sharp dried cherries. You don't want to overbake them—they're at their best when slightly gooey, straight out of the oven.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

- yields 24 cookies -

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 16 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips
• 1 cup (6 ounces) dried cherries

Procedures

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter,. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not overmix.
6. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries.The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.
10. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tempering Chocolate in the Microwave without a Thermometer

This uses the "seeding method."

It is usually best to work with a fair amount of chocolate (1-2 lbs).

Finely chop the entire quantity of chocolate using a serrated knife. Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and slowly melt in the microwave using short, low-power bursts and stirring frequently (alternatively , the choclate can be gently melted in a double-boiler). Stir often.

When the chocolate is entirely metled, the temperature should reach 110-115 F, no higher. Allow the melted chocolate to stand about 10 minutes during which time the temperature will drop to about 100F.

Add the remaining chopped chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir until completely melted. The chocolate should now be in temper.

Vegan Chocolate Cake (Moosewood)

Source: http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html#53

No one would ever suspect that this dark, elegant, scrumptious cake is both egg-less and dairy-less. It's economical and low-cholesterol, and what's more, it goes into the oven in 6 minutes with no mixing bowl to clean because the batter is mixed directly in the baking pan. You may be surprised to see vinegar in the ingredient list, but it's not a mistake. The combination of vinegar and baking soda helps the cake to rise. When cool, cut and serve the cake directly from the pan using small metal spatula or pie server; it cannot be easily turned out onto a serving plate.

However, if you have time for a 12-minute cake, you can mix the batter in a bowl, line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper, and generously oil the sides of the pan and dust with flour. Then the cake can be removed from the pan with no trouble at all, for a more elegant presentation or for a layer cake.

Serves 8
Preparation time for cake: 6 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Preparation time for glaze: 15 minutes
Chilling time (if using glaze) 30 minutes
Equipment: 9-inch round or 8-inch square cake pan, 2-cup measuring cup, double boiler

Cake Ingredients
1 ½ cups unbleached white flour
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water or coffee
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Chocolate Glaze
½ pound semi-sweet chocolate
¾ cup hot water
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375º.

If mixing in bowl, use cooking spray and cocoa powder to dust the cake pan.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, salt, and sugar directly into the cake pan. In the measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, cold water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter as the baking soda and vinegar react. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes and set aside to cool.

To make the optional glaze, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, microwave oven, or reset the oven to 300º and melt the chocolate in the oven for about 15 minutes in a small ovenproof bowl or heavy skillet. Stir the hot water and vanilla into the melted chocolate until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the glazed cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes:

• Moist, but VERY fine crumb with little structure to the cake
  
• 2 Tbsp of cider vinegar may be too much; slight taste of cider
  

Vegan Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Source: Bittman http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/201mrex.html

Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling

1/3 cup sugar

Instant coffee granules

12 oz package of silken tofu

6 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste (optional)

1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 1/3 cup water and coffee granules; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:

• Great, mousse-like texture
• Sugar was reduced from 1/2 c to 1/3 c
• Soy can still be tasted

Variations:

• Pumpkin pudding: canned pumpkin + pumpkin spices
• Banana pudding: ripe bananas