NomNom: Double Chocolate and Espresso Cookies

After I started to recover from being sick a couple weeks ago, my food cravings started to slowly come back which was a sure sign that I was on the road to recovery. Thank God.

I don't usually get chocolate cravings (I'm more of a cheese craving kind of gal) but every once in a while, I will get a hankering for anything chocolate flavored and that happened around the time after I was feeling better. There's no rhyme or reason for the food I'm craving at that moment--only that it must be satisfied quickly. I just feel sorry for the boy I'm dating <insert batty eyelashes>.

I had this recipe bookmarked for awhile but I didn't feel compelled to make it just yet...until last week. These are not only chocolate cookies but double chocolate cookies...I mean....

This recipe involves chocolate covered espresso beans which I didn't have in my pantry but I did have espresso powder. After reading the reviews on this recipe, several people commented that they substituted the beans with espresso powder which worked out just as well. Win.

I used 1 tablespoon of espresso powder the first time around which unfortunately didn't do much to the flavor profile, so I decided to double the measurement the second time around. Bingo.

These cookies almost remind me of brownies because they come out so deliciously moist, chewy, and gooey when they're first out of the oven. The hardest part was waiting for these babies to cool....so I may have tried to eat one while it was still warm and may have made a chocolatey mess on my hands and mouth from the melted chips that are nestled into the cookies. Oops.

Have a great weekend. Xo.


Ingredients (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via food network) Yield 10-12 cookies
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup dark chocolate-covered espresso beans (I substituted with 2.5 tablespoons of espresso powder)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (recommend Ghirardelli)


Procedure
1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the chocolate and butter. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmer water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.

3. In a bowl of a food processor, finely chop the chocolate covered espresso beans. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped espresso beans, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

4. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla extract. Gradually add the dry ingredients and stir until thick and smooth. Fold in the melted chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chips. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, scoop level 1/4 cupfuls of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly puffed and the tops begin to crack, 18-20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and serve.