Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [11]
7. Bake in the top third of the oven for about 10 minutes until lightly browned and firm. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the baking sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches.
8. When the cookies are cooled, place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 2 inches of simmering water, or in a large bowl that fits very securely over a large pot with a similar amount of simmering water. Stir until less than half the chocolate has melted, then remove the double boiler’s top half or the bowl from the heat. Be careful of escaping steam, which can burn your hands or condense in the chocolate and cause it to seize. Continue stirring off the heat until the chocolate has fully melted. Transfer the chocolate to a clean, dry, large bowl; cool for 5 minutes.
9. Lay a large sheet of wax paper on your work surface. Dip a cookie into the chocolate, coating one of its long sides, preferably the “bottom” side, the one that lays against the baking sheet. Gently scrape the cookie against the side of the bowl to create a thin, even layer of chocolate, then place the cookie, chocolate side down, on the wax paper. Continue with the remaining cookies.
10. When all the cookies have been dipped, use a pastry brush to paint the tops fairly heavily with melted chocolate, so that some of the chocolate drips over and coats the sides of the cookies. Let the coated cookies rest undisturbed until the chocolate coating sets, about 2 hours. It will help if you transfer them to a cool part of the house to set up.
Recommended storage
5 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer (for best results, freeze the baked cookies, then dip them in melted chocolate after defrosting)
Mix It Up!
Once the cookies have been dipped in chocolate, and before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle the tops with nonpareils (1/3 cup total volume), sliced almonds (1/2 cup), or toasted sweetened shredded coconut (1/2 cup).
To make pistachio coconut cookies, substitute 1/2 cup pistachio paste (4 ounces) for the almond paste. Once the cookies are dipped in chocolate, sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pistachios over the tops of the cookies.
For a white chocolate or milk chocolate coating, omit the semisweet chocolate, substitute 12 ounces white chocolate or milk chocolate, and melt as directed.
BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
A little mashed banana replaces some of the butter in these sweet chocolate chip cookies. The point here is taste, not a low-fat substitute; so use a very ripe banana, one that’s spotted brown, quite soft, and beyond the point where you’d slice it onto cold cereal. These cookies are better the second day (if you can wait that long), when that characteristic banana taste infuses them even more. Best of all, they don’t lose their crunch.
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing the baking sheets
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening (2 ounces)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 medium, very ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups chocolate chips, preferably bittersweet chocolate chips
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until uniform; set aside. Grease a baking sheet with butter; set aside as well.
2. Beat the butter and shortening in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until softened and of a uniform color, about 1 minute. Beat in both sugars until fluffy but still a little grainy, about 1 more minute. Beat in the mashed banana and vanilla. Remove the beaters.
3. Stir in the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft, wet dough forms. Stir in the chocolate chips, just until evenly distributed.