Happy Tuesday! I have a chocolate cookie recipe to share with you all today!
Sometime in the last few years, I tried out Pinch of Yum's Very Best Chocolate Cookie Recipe. I loved the flavor, but I just could not get the texture right. I made the recipe twice (to be sure I hadn't made a mistake!), and both times they spread super flat and had no rise or height to them. They were like a thin brownie more than a cookie. Despite this, I couldn't leave them alone! They tasted so good. I especially loved the cardamom in the sugar coating. That combined with chocolate and a hint of coffee is just delicious!
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I decided to try adjusting the original recipe to get a better result. It took a few (tasty) tries, but I managed to craft my ideal chocolate cookie! The biggest change is that I added baking powder to the recipe to give the cookie some rise and fluffiness. I decreased the butter to help with this too. I also tested the recipe with my standard dutch process cocoa, because I don't like buying special ingredients if I don't have to. They were good, but just did not have the same flavor (or look) as the cookies made with Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder. I do think it's worth buying for this recipe, I was able to find it at my regular grocery store. A few other adjustments were made for ease of measuring. I also prefer to dissolve my espresso powder in a little hot water, rather than mixing it in with the dry ingredients.
My cookies are quite a bit smaller than the original recipe too. I don't like huge cookies! My go to cookie scoop is a size #40. I use it for basically every cookie I make. I did not even bother to roll the last batch I made into neat balls. I just dropped the scoops of dough right into the sugar coating mixture, rolled them around and put them on the tray. Made no difference in the final cookie and saved me some time!
I am so excited with where the testing ended up and think they are a great cookie so I thought I'd share the recipe with you. If you like chocolate, I hope you'll try them!
Jeni’s Best Chocolate Cookies
Adapted from: Pinch of Yum
Servings: 30 Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 3/4 cups (350 grams) light brown sugar, loosely packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 Tablespoon hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) dark cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
For Rolling:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Jeni’s Best Chocolate Cookies
Heat Oven: To 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper.
Make Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer (hand mixer works too!), cream together butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and dissolved espresso powder, mix until just combined. Sprinkle baking soda and baking powder into the bowl, mix until just combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until a soft dough is formed.
Roll and Bake Cookies: Whisk granulated sugar and cardamom together in a shallow bowl. Portion dough into 1 1/2 Tablespoon balls (I use a #40 scoop), roll in sugar mixture.
Arrange cookie balls on tray approx. 3" apart. Put try in freezer for 10 minutes before baking. Bake for 12 minutes, let cool on sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Freeze cookies: After rolling dough balls in sugar mixture, arrange on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer to a container or bag for storage. Add 2-3 minutes additional baking time when baking directly from the freezer. Do yourself a favor and write the oven temperature and baking time on the bag or label! Now you can have delicious cookies in a few minutes for treat emergencies!
Happy Baking!
