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Recommended storage

4 days at room temperature

Not recommended for freezing

Personalize It!

Melt 6 ounces of semisweet, bittersweet, or white chocolate; cool for 5 minutes. Lay a large sheet of wax paper under the rack holding the cooled cookies. Dip a fork into the melted chocolate and drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, waggling the fork in all directions to create a spider-web design over the cookies.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE CAPS

These are a cookie version of chocolate meringue pie: soft, cakey cookies, topped with a light meringue cap and studded with almonds.

MAKES ABOUT 40 COOKIES

FOR THE COOKIES

21/4 cups all-purpose flour

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (see Note)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing the baking sheets

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 cup milk (regular or low-fat, but not nonfat)

FOR THE MERINGUE

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup superfine sugar (see page 21)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup sliced almonds

1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. To make the cookies, butter two large baking sheets and set them aside. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside as well.

3. Place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler set over about 1 inch of simmering water, or in a medium bowl that fits tightly over a medium sacepan with a similar amount of simmering water. Stir until half the chocolate has melted, adjusting the heat as necessary to have a smooth, low simmer and taking care not to let any of the escaping steam condense into the melting chocolate. Remove the top half of the double boiler or the bowl from the heat and continue stirring until the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

4. In the meantime, soften the butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and continue beating until fluffy and light, about 1 more minute. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then beat in the almond extract until smooth.

5. With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour in the melted, cooled chocolate. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary and beat just until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add half the prepared flour mixture, then beat at low speed until smooth. Pour in the milk and beat for 10 seconds. Remove the beaters and fold in the remaining flour mixture with a rubber spatula just until a soft dough forms. Set aside while you prepare the meringue.

6. Scrupulously clean and dry the beaters, then place the egg whites and salt in a clean, dry, room-temperature bowl and beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar slowly in 1-tablespoon increments and continue beating until the mixture forms firm, thick, satiny peaks. Remove the beaters and fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, taking care not to deflate the beaten whites. Gently fold in the almonds, just until evenly distributed in the batter.

7. Roll a heaping teaspoonful of the chocolate dough into a ball, place it on one of the prepared baking sheets, and gently press the ball with your fingers into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. Continue making these flattened disks, spacing them about 2 inches apart on the sheets. Top each disk with 1 teaspoon of meringue, gently spreading it to the edges of the cookie with the back of a spoon. Mound the meringue in the middle of each disk, creating a small cap on the cookie. Seal the edges of the meringue to the cookie by pressing lightly with a finger.

8. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the trays top to bottom and back to front. Bake for another 7 or 8 minutes, or until the meringue is light brown and dry to