Ahhhh - My Favorite Chocolate Cookies

Name: Ahhhh - My Favorite Chocolate Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 96 cookies
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups flour; 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (preferably 85 percent cacao); 1 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; 11 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 3/4 sticks); 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Submitted by Busters friend

"These are sinfully delicious! Deeply chocolate, cinnamon & a sprinkling of salt - the perfect PMS cookie! Also one of the first to disappear from the holiday platter. This one needs chill time - minimum 2 hours - up to several days - perfect for make today bake tomorrow. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month. Frozen dough can be sliced and baked right away; allow for 1 or 2 extra minutes in the oven. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. From The Washington Post who notes it was adapted from "Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition," by Barbara Lynch"

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Ready In:: 45mins
Ingredients:: 12
Yields:: 96 cookies

ingredients

2 ¹⁄₂ cups flour
³⁄₄ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (preferably 85 percent cacao)
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
11 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 3/4 sticks)
1 ¹⁄₂ cups sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
fleur de sel, for sprinkling

directions

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Fill a small saucepan with an inch or two of water and heat over medium heat. Place the coarsely chopped chocolate in a bowl just large enough to cover the top of the saucepan. When the chocolate begins to soften, stir until completely melted, then remove from the heat.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar, salt and vanilla extract; beat for about 1 minute, until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low; add the flour mixture in several increments, mixing after each addition until incorporated; the dough will look crumbly. Then add the melted chocolate in a steady stream. Add the finely chopped chocolate, mixing until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface; divide it into 4 pieces for easier handling. Working with 1 piece at a time, shape the pieces into logs 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days) to firm the dough for easier slicing.
When ready to bake, position oven racks in the middle and upper third of the oven; preheat to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Use a sharp chef's knife to cut 1/4-inch rounds of the dough. Because of the chopped chocolate and because the dough is on the dry side, the cookies may crumble at times. If they do, just piece them back together on the baking sheet. Space the slices about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them with the fleur de sel. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes; the cookies will not change much in appearance; they will set as they cool. Do not overbake.
Transfer the baking sheets to the stove top (off the heat); let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat to use all the dough.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Busters friend

Pleasure Island, 73

First about Buster: Buster moved onto whatever comes next on February 26, 2008. He was just shy of five years old. I miss him terribly. He came into our lives when he ran out in front of my car late one night as I was driving home. A just under 4 pound ball of kitten fluff, complete with an ostrich boa tail that stayed straight up as he assessed his new domain. He became a 19 pound longhaired beast who guarded our house (he followed any new guests or servicepeople the entire time they are on the property) & even killed copperheads (among other things with his hunting buddy, Fergus the short-tailed)! Friends never saw his formidible side as he smiled at them & uttered the most incongruent kitten-like mews as he threaded legs! He liked to ride in the car & came to the beach. There are Buster-approved recipes in my offerings - however, HE decided which he wanted to consider - Buster demonstrated he liked pumpkin anything - ALOT -LOL!!! Copperhead count 2006 - Buster 2 (10 inchers w/yellow tails) 2007 - Buster & Roxie 1 (a 24 incher!) Buster woken from beauty sleep - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0335.JPG Big whiskers - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0333.JPG For those of you who gave kind condolences - thank you so very much. http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=250301 I love to cook & incorporate techniques from Southern/Mid Atlantic roots (grits, eastern NC BBQ shoulders, Brunswick stew, steamed crabs & shrimp & shellfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, greens, shad roe, scrapple) with Pacific Rim foods & techniques aquired while living in Pacific Northwest, fish & game recipes learned while living in Rocky Mountain region & foods/techniques learned travelling to the Big Island & up into BC & Alberta & into the Caribbean. The Middle Eastern/African likes I have are remnants of my parents who lived for many years in North Africa & Mediterranean before I was thought of. Makes for wide open cooking! Since moving back east we try to go annually in the deep winter to Montreal (Old Montreal auberges & La Reine) & Quebec City (Winter Carnival & Chateau Frontenac)- for unctuous foie gras & real cheeses, French & Canadian meals prepared & served exquisitely, fantastic music & wonderful people - with the cold helping burn off some of the calories! I love putting in our aluminum jonboat & heading across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to the barrier islands for foraging & exploring! Bodysurfing is a lifelong sport for me - one that a person's body never seems to forget how to do, once the knack is learned (thank goodness!) I especially miss cool summers & foggy/drizzly days & fall mushroom foraging/anytime of year hot springing in WA, OR, MT, ID, BC & Alberta.

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