Well,
this self professed chocoholic has struck again!
I
honestly thought I had a recipe for something like this already but after
searching my recipe files - both on the computer and on paper - I realized that
I didn't have a Chocolate, Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookie that used sour
cream as one of the main ingredients!
The
idea came to me while reading a culinary mystery by Joanne Fluke. The lead
character, Hannah Swensen, is the owner of a small town bakery/coffee shop
called "The Cookie Jar". She is a creative baker with a wide variety
of recipes and also solves murders on the side! The author - Ms. Fluke - is
also very generous in sharing many of her (and Hannah's) recipes in each book. It should also be noted that the Hannah Swensen
mysteries really must be read in sequence to fully appreciate the various
character developments and ongoing storylines
In
the novella - "Candy For Christmas" - there is a recipe for
"Chocolate Mint Softies" that looked interesting. The recipe can also
be found in "Joanne Fluke’s LAKE EDEN COOKBOOK". (Okay, a lot of the
recipes in this series look interesting and it is really hard to resist
drooling on my Kindle, but today I'm taking about this particular one!).
There
were however some things I decided to change to more accurately suit my tastes.
I'm not a huge fan of mint. I prefer it in toothpaste or breath fresheners but
very sparingly in my food. I rarely have any unsweetened chocolate baking squares
in my pantry and pecans are too expensive. I also didn't want to frost the
cookies after they'd cooled.
So,
I did a recipe search for Sour Cream Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookies. I was
specifically looking for ones that didn't use chocolate squares. As expected, I
found many but settled on one from Taste Of Home.
I
did a side by side comparison of ingredients that also included the direct
substitute for unsweetened chocolate squares:
3 level tablespoons unsweetened
cocoa powder
+ 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or
shortening
= 1 ounce
unsweetened baking chocolate
After
a bit more ingredient and measurement tweaking, I came up with a draft recipe
to try.
I
used block margarine rather than butter (butter may taste better in baking but
it 's too costly for my budget!). I added 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) of
unsweetened cocoa powder rather than the 6 Tablespoons from the direct substitute
but also upped the margarine by 2 Tablespoons. I did a 50/50 split of all
purpose and whole wheat flour. I swapped out the peppermint extract for almond
extract and the pecans for roasted almonds. I also added chocolate chips as one
can never have enough chocolate!
The
batter came together well and the dough was quite thick as I added the last of
the dry ingredients. This recipe works best in a stand mixer. If using an
electric hand mixer, you will need to take a few breaks while adding in the dry
ingredients so as not to overheat and/or burn out the motor.
Once
the dough is mixed, it is quite sticky which makes it a bit hard to work with
for dropping onto baking sheets, so it is best to chill it for an hour or two
first.
Hopefully
Ms. Fluke (and Hannah) would approve of this recipe!
I
took samples of the cookies to several friends for tasting and they loved them!
I also asked my friends if they had any name suggestions. The best one I got
was "Roasted Almond Chocolate Bomb Cookies". I asked what had inspired
the name. My friend said the cookie was soft and when they bit into it, there
was the immediate flavour burst of chocolate and almond but when you bit into a
chocolate chip the flavour just exploded!
Now,
while your reading the recipe and making these cookies, I'm going to grab a couple of
cookies and start reading another Hannah Swensen mystery to see what she's
baking up this time and what is happening with the good folks in Lake Eden!
Roasted
Almond Chocolate Bomb Cookies
1
cup all purpose flour
1
cup whole wheat flour
1/2
cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2
teaspoon baking powder
1/2
teaspoon baking soda
1/2
teaspoon salt
1/2
cup + 2 Tablespoons block margarine, softened to room temperature
2/3
cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3
cup white (granulated) sugar
1
large egg (at room temperature), beaten with a fork
3/4
cup light sour cream
1
teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2
teaspoon almond extract
1
1/2 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
Line
a baking pan with parchment paper and spread the almonds over the paper. Roast
in a preheated 350F oven for about 5-7 minutes - stirring at least once or
twice during that time.
Note, that these can go from perfectly roasted, golden
brown to burnt in a matter of seconds so DO NOT walk away or get distracted.
Remove the pan from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely
before adding to the dough.
While
the almonds are cooling, combine the flours (do not sift or pack the flours),
cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In
the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the
softened margarine and sugars till very creamy. Add the beaten egg and
extracts. Combine thoroughly.
Mix
in about 1/2 of the sour cream.
Add
about another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix.
Add
the remaining sour cream and mix.
Add
the remaining dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Scrape
down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well mixed. Add in the
roasted almonds and the chocolate chips. Mix in completely. Dough will be a bit
stiff and very sticky at this point so too frustrating to drop evenly on baking
sheets. Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate for an hour or two. (Overnight is also fine but no more than a day)
Drop
dough by teaspoon on parchment lined baking sheets. These spread very little so
flatten slightly for more even baking.
Bake
at 350F for 9-11 minutes. Note: When the cookie dough is so dark, it can be
really hard to tell when they are fully baked - the cookies are done when they
have risen slightly and are firm around the edges. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Carefully
slide the parchment paper and cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Makes about 6 dozen scrumptious cookies depending on size.
Note:
The taste testers and I agreed that these are best eaten slightly warm or within
a few hours of baking as the chocolate chips are still very soft and you get a
more intense flavour burst with each bite. If eaten later, then warm them in
the microwave for a few seconds first. That way the chocolate chips are
softened and just explode with the flavour when you bite into them. That being
said, these can also be frozen, however they should be thawed and warmed
slightly before eating - about 6-8 seconds in the microwave should do it.
dn
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