Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [10]
Dropped Cookies
Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies • Big Soft Chocolate Cookies • Black Black and Whites • Brownie Drops • Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies • Chocolate Chews • Chocolate Meringues • Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies • Chocolate Chunk Cookies • Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Cookies • Chocolate Coconut and Pecan Cookies • Chocolate Coconut Macaroons • Chocolate Meringues • Chocolate Molasses Raisin Cookies • Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies • Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies • Fudge Meringues • Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies • Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies • Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies • Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies • Nearly Nonfat Chocolate Cookies • Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies • Potato Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies • Soft Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies • Spumetti • Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Cookies • Tofu Chocolate Chip Cookies • Triple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies • White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Cookies, A to Z
ALMOND COCONUT COOKIES
Early on, we decided that chocolate-dipped cookies were beyond the confines of this book. It seemed like cheating: you make a traditional cookie, dip it in melted chocolate, and call it a chocolate cookie. Great, no doubt—but is it truly a chocolate cookie? Our rule proved good until we wanted to come up with a cookie that was something of a cross between an Almond Joy and a Twix candy bar, two of our favorites. The long and short? Here’s our one chocolate-dipped cookie—a crunchy almond-coconut wafer dipped in melted chocolate. Good enough to break every rule.
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES
11/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup almond paste (4 ounces, see page 17)
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1. Position the rack in the top third of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Spread the coconut on a large baking sheet and toast in the center of the oven until lightly browned and very fragrant, about 8 minutes, tossing quite often so that the coconut toasts evenly and doesn’t burn. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Maintain the oven’s temperature.
3. Place the sugar and salt in a large bowl. (If you’re using a stand mixer, do this step in the mixer’s bowl.) Cut in the butter and almond paste with a pastry cutter or two forks, much as you would cut shortening into a piecrust dough, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed until softened, light, and evenly textured, if still a bit grainy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then the almond extract until smooth. Finally, beat in the coconut just until evenly distributed. Remove the beaters, scraping off any batter that adheres to them.
5. Stir in the flour, using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, just until incorporated but not sticky. The dough will be firm, somewhat stiff—if your hands are clean, you can also work the flour in by hand without making the dough too stiff. Bring the dough together in a ball, then divide in half.
6. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper on a clean, dry work surface, then place one of the dough halves on top of it. Cover with a second large sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use your palms and flattened fingers to press the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick circle, about 5 inches in diameter. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper, then trim the circle to a 4-inch square. Cut this square into rectangular sticks that are 4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Transfer these sticks to a large, ungreased baking sheet, preferably nonstick, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps together and continue this process with the scraps and the other ball of dough, making more 4-inch by 3/4-inch sticks, each