Tidewater Kitchen - All About Chocolate: Pamela Meredith

All About Chocolate

However you celebrate the holidays, you have probably baked cookies, and chances are you have a childhood recipe or two to dust off each year. If you have a cookie jar at your house, then fill it with one of these chocolate delights. Each time the jar empties, you will have an excuse to try another recipe.

This collection includes some brand-new ideas as well as variations on old favorites. Some are drop, some are rolled and some are bars. Prepare this assortment of sturdy favorites over the course of a few days and then arrange them in tins to be shipped to a college dorm! I would like to think that I have made a modest contribution to better scores on midterm exams and LSATs all over the U.S.!

What tastier treats can you prepare for family and friends than chocolate desserts? They are rich in flavor and guaranteed to tempt.

Chocolate comes in countless forms and varieties, but most chocolate recipes use the three more common types ~ unsweetened, cocoa and semisweet.

Unsweetened chocolate is pure chocolate liquor, the base of all chocolate, that has been cooled and molded into 1-ounce blocks. This bitter chocolate is used primarily for cooking.

Cocoa, a highly concentrated unsweetened chocolate powder, is made by removing most of the cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor. The remaining liquor is then ground into cocoa’s familiar powdered form. Cocoa has the lowest fat content of chocolate products because most of the cocoa butter has been removed.

Semisweet and sweet baking chocolates are made by blending unsweetened chocolate with varying amounts of sweeteners and cocoa butter. Semisweet chocolate comes in 1-ounce blocks or morsels, which are chips specially formulated to hold their shape softly when baked. Morsels labeled “chocolate flavored” are chocolate substitutes. They are made from processed cocoa and vegetable oil rather than from un-

sweetened chocolate and cocoa butter.

As you will see, the magic is in the proportions and the quality of ingredients. There is no big mystery; to get the best brownie, use

the best chocolate and use a lot of it! This brownie is a rich, dark, fudgy confection with a crackly top. Even though this recipe will work with any brand of chocolate, Belgian baking chocolate like Callabaut or the extra-smooth intense flavor of French Valrhona may produce the best results. Finely ground coffee also adds intense flavor to cookies and cakes, and dusting the pan with unsweetened cocoa just intensifies the experience!

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 8 ounces unsweetened Belgian

A Taste of Italy

chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 cup unsalted butter 6 large eggs 1 T. pure vanilla extract 1/2 t. salt 3-1/2 cups sugar 2 cups flour 1 T. milk

Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly butter a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Stir to combine and set aside to cool.

Combine the eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir together vigorously using the paddle attachment of a heavy-duty mixer until light and fluffy.

Add the flour and the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture in alternating batches, stirring until it is a smooth, thick batter. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

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Brush the milk evenly on top and bake 35 minutes, until risen, just set and lightly cracked on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out chocolate-coated. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting.

COFFEE BROWNIE WEDGES

3 T. cocoa powder for dusting 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts 1 stick unsalted butter 4 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped 1 T. finely ground dark-roast coffee 1-1/2 t. ground cinnamon 1 t. pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup sugar 2 large eggs 3/4 cup flour 1/2 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside.

Scatter the hazelnuts in another small baking pan and toast in the oven until lightly colored and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven: leave the oven on. Coarsely chop the nuts and set them aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Add the coffee, cinnamon and vanilla, and stir until smooth and combined. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.

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Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring briskly after each addition. Stir until the mixture is thick and shiny. Stir in the flour, salt and all but 2 tablespoons of the hazelnuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons of nuts, pressing them in lightly with the spatula. Bake on the middle oven rack until the brownies are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan. Cut into four squares, and cut each square into four bitesize triangular brownies.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1-1/4 cups butter, softened 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 2 t. pure vanilla extract 2 cups flour 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 t. baking soda Powdered sugar

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. In a medium bowl, combine flour with cocoa and baking soda; gradually blend into creamed mixture. Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes (cookies will still be puffy when taken from the oven, then collapse as they cool on the cookie sheet).

Transfer cookies onto waxed paper and sprinkle with powdered sugar when they are completely cooled. Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to retain chewiness.

Note: Quick and delicious, these can be made in a flash using a food processor. For efficiency and uniform results, invest in a small handheld cookie scoop. It looks and works just like an ice cream scoop and cuts your time in half!

GRANOLA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I make these with my own granola that is full of raisins and sunflower seeds, but any good granola will do.

1-1/2 cups granola cereal 118

2 cups flour 1 t. baking soda 1 t. salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 t. pure vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 cup bittersweet chocolate bits (see note)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets.

Stir the granola, flour, baking soda and salt together in a mixing bowl.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until well blended.

Blend the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until they are moistened and incorporated. The dough should be stiff. Add the chocolate bits and stir in well.

Drop heaping tablespoons of the dough, at least 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets once, until nicely browned, 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: For the best-quality chocolate bits, start with good-quality baking chocolate and coarsely chop your own.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BEAN COOKIES

This cookie is a great present for teachers and neighbors at holiday time!

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1 egg 1 t. pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups flour 1/2 t. baking soda 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (see note) 1-1/2 cups chocolate-covered espresso beans 120

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until well blended.

In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cocoa powder. Stir this into the creamed mixture on low speed just until combined. Add the espresso beans and stir until well blended.

Place rounded tablespoons of the dough, spaced 2 inches apart, on two ungreased or parchmentlined baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets once, until the cookies are just crisp around the edges but still a bit soft and puffed in the center, 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: Bensdorf, Droste and Cocoa Barry are excellent baking cocoas.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BISCOTTI

Packed in a clamp-top jar, these

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make a wonderful gift along with a pound of your favorite coffee!

1-1/3 cups blanched hazelnuts 8 T. unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 t. pure vanilla extract 2-1/2 cups flour 3 T. unsweetened cocoa 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. baking powder 1/8 t. salt

Preheat oven to 325°.

Scatter the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly browned and fragrant, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix until smooth and well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add this to the creamed mixture, and blend on low speed just until a stiff dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Remove the hazelnuts from the oven; leave the oven on. Coarsely chop half of the toasted nuts, and stir both the chopped and the whole nuts into the dough. Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, form each half into a 12x3inch flattened log. Place the logs, spaced at least 2 inches apart, on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake until firm, lightly browned, and cracked on top, 25-30 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300°. Allow the logs to cool on the sheet for 10 minutes. Then loosen them with a large flat spatula and transfer them to a cutting board. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Return the slices to the baking sheet, cut sides up, and return the baking sheet to the oven. Bake, rotating the pan once to ensure even browning, until the biscotti are firm and dry throughout, 2025 minutes. They will be slightly soft coming from the oven but will crisp nicely as they cool. Allow the biscotti to cool completely on the baking sheet, at least 30 minutes. Transfer to the cookie jar or arrange upright in clamp-top jars.

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, has taught both adult and children’s cooking classes on the south shore of Massachusetts.

For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.