Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [75]
3. Meanwhile, soften the shortening and butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed. Add both kinds of sugar; continue beating until airy and light, if still a little gritty, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, making sure the first is incorporated before adding the second; beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the ground sesame seeds and pepitas, then remove the beaters and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the prepared flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in the currants. The dough will be soft but a little greasy; turn it out onto a clean work surface and knead it three or four times, just until it adheres into a ball.
5. Spread the chopped pecans on a large plate. Pinch off a walnut-size piece of dough; then flatten it into the chopped pecans, pressing down so that only one side is coated with the nuts and the dough is shaped like a flattened basketball. Place the ball, pecan side up, on an ungreased baking sheet, then continue this process, filling two large baking sheets with cookies, spacing them about 11/2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 6 minutes, then reverse the sheets back to front and top to bottom. Bake for about 6 more minutes, or until the cookies are a bit cracked yet still somewhat soft to the touch but very aromatic. Cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes before baking additional batches as needed.
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NOTE: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, often green because they’ve been hulled, sometimes toasted. They’re available in some health food stores, most gourmet markets, and almost all Latin American markets.
Recommended storage
4 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
NEARLY NONFAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES
The only fat in these cookies is in the tiny amount of cocoa butter left in the unsweetened chocolate, and in the minuscule residual amount in the cocoa powder. Other than that, there’s no butter or shortening—although the cookies are so soft and moist, you won’t believe it.
MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN LARGE COOKIES
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably natural, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Position the rack in the middle of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until uniform; set aside as well.
2. 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 securely over a medium saucepan with about the same amount of simmering water. Stir until half the chocolate has melted, then remove from the double boiler’s top half or the bowl from the heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted. Alternatively, place the chocolate in a medium bowl and microwave on high in 15-second increments until half the chocolate has melted, then continue stirring at room temperature until all the chocolate has melted. In all cases, set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy, about 20 seconds. Add both kinds of sugar and beat until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour in the cooled, melted chocolate and continue beating until uniform, then beat in the vanilla. Remove the beaters and stir in the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon or a metal spatula, just until the flour is moistened