Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Behold, the perfect chocolate chip cookie! Does one even really exist? Some people like thick and chewy cookies while others prefer thin and crispy cookies. Whichever you prefer, the folks at Cook's Illustrated claim they have created the perfect chocolate chip cookie-one with a crisp outside and a soft inside and a deep butterscotch flavor. In case you haven't notices, I'm by nature and name a doubting Thomas. I just had to find out for myself if the experts were stretching the truth just a bit.

I decided to follow the recipe exactly as written and see what happens. After all, that's why I write this blog, isn't it?

Find the complete recipe here, at Cook's Illustrated's website.

I started by measuring all of the ingredients, or "mis en place" as the professionals say. When translated, mis en place loosely means to put in place or make ready. I measured the flour as I always do, by lightly spooning it into a measuring cup and using the back of a butter knife to scrape off the excess. I then weighed the flour and found that I was tad on the scant side. The recipe calls for 1 3/4 cups or 8 3/4 ounces of flour. I was coming up short with just under 8 ounces. I added more flour to the scale until it read 8 3/4 ounces which turned out to be 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons.

Mise en place













With ingredients neatly measured out I was ready to get down to brass tacks by putting it all together. The recipe instructed me to heat 10 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until until it melts and turns a dark, nutty brown.











With the butter melting on top of the stove, I decided it was a good time to toast the walnuts. My oven was preheated so I tossed the nuts onto a rimmed cookie sheet and popped them into the oven for about five minutes. Talk about multi-tasking. I felt like a juggler in my own kitchen circus. Viola! Like magic, the butter darkened as I swirled the pan. Luckily I stopped the browning process before the butter burned.

I'm really liking this recipe, I thought. I added 4 additional tablespoons of butter to the browned butter and once melted, I added the sugars, salt, and vanilla. Next came the egg and egg yolk and then I whisked it all together. The aroma was heavenly. It looked and smelled just like homemade caramel-smooth, rich, and decadent. I couldn't wait to dive in to the batter with a spoon but I restrained myself. I added the flour next as the recipe directed and then the chocolate chips and the toasted nuts.

Ready for the Oven













Baked and Ready to Cool













I couldn't wait to try these large, perfectly shaped, picture perfect cookies. Would they truly be the best chocolate chip cookie EVER? I poured a tall glass of milk and broke apart one for closer inspection. The nut to chip to cookie ratio was excellent. I hate an unbalanced cookie! I bit in and savored the flavor. Wow, these cookies were amazing. With a rich, buttery, chocolate flavor these cookies are-dare I say it-are as close to perfect as perfect can be. Try the recipe for yourself. I already hear you making the yum noise as you reach for seconds.

Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of 5)

Fresh Baked Cookies Anytime

It's so easy to produce fresh baked cookies on a whim if you just take a few minutes to prepare ahead of time.

Make a batch of drop cookies such as chocolate chip, sugar, or gingersnaps as directed in the recipe. Then instead of baking, shape into balls and place on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Store in plastic bags in the freezer. Be sure to label the bags with the name of the cookie and date. Store for up to 3 months in double-wrapped plastic freezer bags.

Baker's Tip: Also label the bag with the baking instructions (15 min. @ 350 degrees). You won't need to search for the recipe when it's time to bake.

Remove the cookies and let thaw for about fifteen minutes while the oven warms. You may need to add 1 or 2 minutes to the baking time to account for the partially frozen cookies.


Ready for the Freezer















I made these pecan sandies which freeze well and are easy to make.

Pecan Sandies

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, medium chopped

Beat butter and sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt. Mix until incorporated. With mixer on low, add flour, beating until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and add pecans, gently folding them into the dough.

Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on two baking sheets. Freeze as directed above or bake immediately. Gently flatten each ball with the bottom of a damp glass (to avoid sticking).

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake until cookies are golden brown, 15 - 17 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
Transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

Hazelnuts are high in protein and relatively low in fat as compared to other nuts. Also known as Filberts, these babies have tons of fiber, iron, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, C, and E, folate, and other essential nutrients. They are the champion of nut family, contributing to lower cholesterol levels. Just think of what a daily dose of hazelnuts combined with a statin like Lipitor would do to lower your cholesterol.

Plus, did I mention they taste delicious to boot? That is, if you're not allergic.

As in life, with the good comes the bad. Hazelnuts have a skin which can be difficult (and messy) to remove. Perhaps that's why they're not as popular as walnuts or pecans (just a theory).

I'll be honest. These cookies took time to make. Most of it was spent removing the skins after a boiling, washing, and drying process which I'll describe later. That said, if you can find blanched hazelnuts, buy them. My local Wholefoods did not have them, so I was stuck spending nearly an hour trying to get the tough skins removed.

I tried a new method of removing skins and it worked well. The traditional way involves roasting the nuts in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes and then placing the nuts in a dish towel and rubbing the heck out of them until the skins come off. The new way is easier. Bring a quart of water to a boil in a saucepan and add 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Turn down the head to avoid a messy boil over and continue boiling for 3 - 4 minutes. Drain nuts in a colander and then rinse under cold water. Rub between your palms under the water and skins will come off easily. Dry on paper towels and roast in the oven as described above. Nuts may take longer to toast depending on how much water they absorbed.

Chop nuts by hand with a chef's knife or place in a food processor being careful not to chop nuts into a fine powder. You want to retain the texture.

Skinned and Toasted Hazelnuts Ready for Chopping















Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies
(adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, November 1995 issue)

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 11 ounce jar of chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella or similar)
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts (see above for toasting instructions)
Additional finely chopped hazelnuts (about 1 1/2 cups)
Confectioners sugar for rolling and dusting

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine chocolate-hazelnut spread and shortening. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg. Beat until combined.

Alternately add flour mixture and milk to creamed mixture, beating on medium speed until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts. Cover and chill for about 2 hours until firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Shape dough into 1 or 1 1/2 balls. Roll in finely chopped hazelnuts and then in confectioners sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet or on parchment paper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until surface is cracked and cookies are set. Cool on wire rack. When cool dust in confectioners sugar again and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Cookie Press Review:
These cookies are bursting with hazelnut flavor and are a nice change from other chocolate and nutty cookies. The texture is light, with a soft and chewy center. Perfect with tea or a glass of milk, these cookies get my seal of approval. They would be great to include in a holiday cookie assortment or to be devoured at any time during the year.

Cookie Press rating: 4 cookies (out of 5)

Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

Every workplace or neighborhood has them. You know the type. The overzealous gardener who planted too many seeds and now has tons of these lovely green and/or yellow cylindrical objects to get rid of before they rot. I call these people "zucchini pushers" because they seem to pop up from out of nowhere and insist that you take a few. But a few is not a few. It's usually several. Or to put it another way, more than you could ever use in a lifetime. But you take them because after all, they're free and you don't want hurt feelings. Little do you know your friend, neighbor or co-worker is probably laughing at you and saying to their spouse or significant other, "I unloaded a bunch more today honey!"

I've always wondered why I'm never offered the good stuff like vine-ripened tomatoes or corn. The stuff that costs a fortune at the farmer's market. Corn is sixty-five cents an ear this year and I've seen tomatoes as high at $3.99 per pound. No, I just seem stuck with tons of zucchini.

Once you bake a few loaves of zucchini bread what else is there to make? A quick search of the internet yielded recipes for zucchini cake, zucchini cobbler (yes, cobbler!), zucchini with pasta, and zucchini fritters. But what about cookies? Does a recipe for zucchini cookies even exist? It didn't take too much effort to find this recipe for Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies from Everyday Food. And with a zucchini in the fridge just begging to be used, there was no time to waste.

The good news is that you need only one medium sized zucchini in these cookies. The bad news is that you need only one medium sized zucchini, unless you double the batch in which case you'll need two. Chances are you probably have three or four still waiting in the wings and a neighbor who just can't wait to bump into you so he or she can offer you more.

I was expecting these cookies to be terrible. Much to my surprise they were actually worse than terrible. They were dreadful. The texture was rubbery, dense, and didn't taste like zucchini at all. The lemon zest did give the cookie some much needed flavor.

Perhaps I should have followed the directions exactly as written and used a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients. Instead, I used my Mixmaster and perhaps I over mixed the dough. That would explain the rubbery texture but it still doesn't explain the lack of flavor.

So while I admit I may have blundered when making these cookies, I still can't wholeheartedly recommend them. In case you want to try these and judge for yourself, here's the recipe. If you look on the bright side, you'll have one less zucchini to throw away. Or you may throw it away in cookie form!

Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 medium zucchini, grated on small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy. Stir in vanilla, lemon zest, and salt. Add flour and cornmeal and mix until mixture becomes crumbly. Add zucchini and stir until a thick dough forms.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are light golden brown around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on wire racks.

Makes 25 cookies.

Cookie press rating: 1 cookie (out of 5)


Grating the Zucchini














The Soft Dough

Peanut Butter Cookies

WARNING: May contain peanuts.
This is a phrase that I see all the time now in the most obvious places. Yes, I understand that peanut butter cookies contain peanuts. I also understand that my peanut granola bar contains peanuts. That's why I bought it. I also know that my hot cup of coffee is hot. I don't need a disclaimer on the cup to tell me so. Before everyone gets crazy on me, I do understand that peanut allergies are serious and I do feel bad for anyone who can't have peanuts or who have serious food allergies.

Now to the cookies ...

I made these for my friend Karen, who is going through a rough time after recently losing her husband. Today I received a thank you note from Karen which said "You can bake! The cookies are fantastic." Funny. That's what I thought went I tasted them too. I sure hope they lift Karen's spirits.

This recipe comes from the America's Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook.

The key here is to supplement the peanut butter with real, salted dry roasted peanuts to create tons of peanut flavor. The other key is to make the cookies BIG! This helps them retain their chewiness. One cookie at a time is really all you need. These babies are filling. And with an ice cold glass of milk on a hot day, these are simply the best.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, gently packed
1 cup sugar
1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup salted peanuts, chopped fine

Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder together in a large bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Beat in peanut butter, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl.

Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until just combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chopped peanuts.

Roll dough to form balls using about 3 tablespoons of dough for each. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Using a fork dipped in cold water, gently press down on each ball twice to create the crosshatch pattern.

Bake until the edges are golden, 10 - 12 minutes. If baking more than one pan at a time, rotate pans halfway through baking.

Cool cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Cookie press rating: 5 cookies (out of five)

Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies

Last week was my friend Victor's birthday so a bunch of us got together for a dinner celebrate to this milestone. I don't dare say which milestone, but it was significant enough for me to make a special batch of cookies just for him. These cookies needed to be not just good, but great. I remember asking him some time ago what type of cookies he liked. His reply went something like, "simple cookies, chocolate chip, butter. Nothing overly sweet." Victor is right. He's sweet enough already.

So I hit the cookbooks in search of a simple, not-so-sweet cookie and found this recipe for Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies. I neglected to mention that Victor watches what he eats and rarely has dessert. But cookies are his weakness and these just might fool him into thinking he's eating something healthy.

These cookies turned out very well. I'm not sure they qualify as simple (nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, raisins, and oats), but they were easy. The roasted peanuts added both great flavor and texture to the cookie. I used unsweetened coconut, but it was finely ground and was undetectable in the finished product. Next time I may also substitute M&M's for the chocolate chips to make them what I think is a true trail mix cookie.

Baker's note: The dough was very soft, so I popped it in the fridge and went out for a couple of hours until it firmed up.

This recipe is from The Gourmet Cookbook. Long live Gourmet, which closed last year, a victim of the recession.

I'll have to ask Victor if he liked the cookies. I bet they're already gone.

Oatmeal-Trail Mix Cookies

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup salted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup raisins

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment or lightly butter.

Beat together butter, shortening, and sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in egg, baking soda mixture, flour, salt, and vanilla until just combined. Sire in oats, coconut, chocolate chips, peanuts, and raisins until well combined.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 4 inches apart onto buttered baking sheets, then flatten and spread each mound into a 3-inch round with a fork. Bake cookies in batches until golden, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to racks to cool.

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

Lately my office mates have been harassing me to bring in cookies by plastering my Facebook page with requests and comments. I must admit now that the weather has improved, I spend less time in the kitchen and more time outdoors. It's time to get serious about cookies again and this use of social media to nudge me back into the kitchen made me laugh. What next? Will I be hosting SNL a la Betty White? I hear there is another Facebook group lobbying for Ms. White to host the Oscars. I say hooray for Betty!

On my way home from work I popped in to Wholefoods and headed for the baking aisle to pick up some chips. I grabbed the last bag of Guittard 63% cacao extra dark chocolate chips and headed for the checkout. I have never tried Guittard chocolate and am happy to report the chips exceeded my expectations. At $3.99 per bag, were the least expensive chip available at "Wholepaycheck."

I like to try recipes I find on the side of boxes and bags. These recipes are extensively tested to make sure they work. After all, why would a manufacturer print a recipe that isn't thoroughly tested? Their reputations are at stake. I set right to work making the recipe on the side of the Guittard chocolate chip bag.

The dough is rather moist and you may want to pop it in the refrigerator for twenty minutes or so before baking (but it's not necessary). Be sure not to over bake these cookies. 11 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees is the perfect amount of time. You want the centers to remain soft and chewy. Also be careful when melting the chocolate in the microwave. I almost burned it because I don't know how to set my microwave at 50% power.


Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 cups (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Heat one cup of chips and water in a small microwave safe bowl at medium power for 1 - 2 minutes, stirring well after 1 minute, then after 30 second intervals until smooth, set aside.

Cream butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until light. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add melted chocolate, stopping to scrape bowl as needed. Mix in flour and baking soda just until incorporated. Stir in the remaining cup of chips. Dough will be moist and soft.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 11 - 12 minutes or until tops are cracked and crusty. Centers should be soft and appear slightly underdone. Let stand 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Madras Cookies

I've heard of curry in a hurry, but curry in a cookie is news to me. I like curry dishes when ordered at my favorite East Village restaurant, Banjara (on First and Sixth Streets). I figured it's time for me to try curry in a cookie so I headed for my cookie bible, Great Cookies, by cookie maven Carole Walter. This book is a must for the serious cookie baker. I'm suddenly inspired to bake my way through the book blogging all the way. Oh wait, that's been done before. Do you think Nora Ephron has any interest for a slightly sweeter version of Julie and Julia? I thought not.

And now, without further adieu, I bring you the recipe for Madras Cookies.

Madras Cookies

2 t mild curry powder
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unblanched almonds + additional for the top of each cookie
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 c (2 sticks) butter, softened slightly
1 t grated orange zest from one orange
2/3 c sugar
2/3 c lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 c chopped sweetened, flaked coconut

Heat curry powder in a small skillet over low heat for 20 - 30 seconds until fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Place the flour, 1 cup almonds, curry powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 10 times, then process for 1 minute until mixture is very finely chopped and cake-like. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and orange zest on medium-low speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar, then brown sugar and mix for about 12 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing until just blended after each addition. Turn mixer off and fold in coconut. Chill dough for 20 - 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Heat oven to 375 degrees and moderately butter cookie sheets. You can probably use parchment paper instead of greasing or buttering the cookie sheets.



Roll the dough to form 1/2 to 3/4 inch balls and place on sheets about 2 inches apart. Gently press a whole almond into the top of each cookie, using the heel of your hand to flatten the cookie slightly. Try pressing a few blanched, slivered almonds on top instead of a whole almond to vary the look.


Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. If baking 2 pans at once, be sure to rotate the pans from top to bottom, front to back. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 or 3 minutes before removing cookies to cooling racks.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or carefully wrapped and frozen.

Cookie Press Review

I have to admit that I expected to dislike these cookies. I was wrong. The cookies are uniquely flavorful without being overpowering. In fact, most of my tasters could not detect the curry until I told them. A few thought I was lying. Many tasted a slight orange and cinnamon flavor. Overall, the cookies were a surprise hit. I even keep a small tin in my desk drawer for a late afternoon snack.

Cookie press rating: 3 1/2 cookies (out of five)

Ginger Creams

Icing is the one of the best things ever invented. I think I would even eat lima beans if they were covered with a buttery, sweet, layer of icing. Most of the iced cookies I usually make are basic sugar cutout cookies with a simple icing made with softened butter, confectioners sugar, and milk. When I found a recipe for Ginger Creams in Betty Crocker's Cookie Jar Cookbook, I knew I had to try them.

A side note: my friend and former co-worker Tracey once nicknamed me Tommy Crocker which still makes me smile some fifteen years later when I think about it.

The recipe is quite easy to prepare and is the first cookie recipe I recall that includes water. The only molasses I could find in the store was extra dark. This worked fine, however, if you want the cookie to be lighter brown then use regular molasses. I found the most difficult part of making Ginger Creams to be spooning the dough onto the cookie sheets. The dough was very soft even after being refrigerated for one hour. I recommend refrigerating an hour longer or overnight if you have the time.

Ginger Creams

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses (I used extra dark molasses, but regular will work fine)

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t ground ginger

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t ground cinnamon

Combine sugar, molasses, water, shortening and egg in a mixing bowl. Beat until combined. Stir in remaining ingredients. Dough will be very moist and sticky. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drop dough, by teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cook sheet. Bake 8 minutes until no indentation remains when touched lightly. Remove immediately from cookie sheet; cool. Frost with vanilla icing (below).

Vanilla Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 t vanilla

2 T milk

Mix powdered sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and milk; beat until smooth and spreadable. If icing is too think, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Cookie Press Review:

Just one bite of this cookie and I was hooked. The cookie itself is gingerbread-like. The spices are bold, but not overpowering and the icing is the perfect complement to the cakey cookie. Great alone, with a glass of milk, or with a cup of hot tea, these cookies satisfy.

Cookie press rating: four cookies (out of five)

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

One of my dedicated blog readers suggested, no insisted, that I try Chocolate Sparkle Cookies as another option to treating the symptoms of PMS (see Black Forest Cookie blog entry to understand the reference to PMS). This is the signature cookie of noted pastry chef Thomas Haas. Haas has worked as the Executive Pastry Chef at the Four Seasons in Vancouver, and as Executive Pastry Chef at Daniel, Boulud's famous eatery in Manhattan. Haas has won tons of accolades over the years so I'm thinking this cookies have to be fantastic.

Chocolate Sparkle Cookies

1/2 lb (8 oz.) bittersweet chocolate
3 T butter, room temp.
2 eggs
1 T honey
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c ground almonds
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
coarse sugar for garnish

Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler, over simmering water. Make sure water does not come in contact with the chocolate. Even a drop of water will seize the chocolate and you'll have to start over. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the melted chocolate. Beat eggs with mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light and mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beater (about 10 minutes). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds and mix. Gently add to the chocolate mixture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small ice cream scoop to form the dough into one inch balls. Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the centers are moist, but not wet. Do not overbake. Cookies will be soft in the center. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with coarse sugar.

Cookie Press Review

These cookies did not impress. The texture was very odd. Soft? Yes. Chocolaty? You betcha. Sweet? No doubt. But I really couldn't get past the texture. Perhaps it was the ground up almonds which provided nice flavor but required some extra chewing and who has time for that? Be sure to have a glass of milk ready to wash 'em down. I also overcooked one batch on purpose to see if that made a difference. It didn't seem to matter all that much. Overcooking just dried them out.

My taste testers agreed and weren't begging for second or third sample as they normally do. A single cookie filled my tasters up.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of think of this cookie. For me, Sparkle Cookies were kind of lackluster.

Cookie Press rating: 2 cookies (out of five)

Reminder: Send me your cookie recipes to try! Email them to me at: tleader(@)nyc(dot)rr(dot)com.

Black Forest Cookies

My favorite cake is Black Forest. Wait! This is a cookie blog. Why on earth would I be writing about cake? Well, I love chocolate and cherries together so I decided to try a recipe I found in an old issue of Martha's Everyday Food for Black Forest Cookies. The recipe was very easy to follow. The only ingredient I didn't have on hand was the 1 1/2 cups of dried cherries which I picked up at the grocery store in the bulk items area. I find it strange that in today's high tech world that I still have to write the code for the cherries (407) on a round stickie label and affix it to the outside of the bag. Can't the grocery store manager invest in a scale which prints out bar codes? I digress. Back to the cookies.

There are three kinds of chocolate in the cookies which make them oh so delicious. Two tablespoons of cocoa powder. I used Hershey's which never disappoints. Next up was the 8 ounces of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate. I used Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chips (melted) which I think really make this cookie special. When I'm melting chocolate in a recipe, I generally use chips since they melt quickly and are usually cheaper than if I had bought the same amount of chocolate in bar form. We are in a recession and I'm on a budget. Finally, 12 ounces of chocolate chunks finished off the chocolate triple play. I used Hershey's semisweet chunks which worked well with the melted bittersweet chocolate.

Another thing I really liked about this recipe is that I didn't need to pull out and dirty my Kitchen Aid mixer. All of the ingredients mixed nicely in the double boiler I used to melt the chocolate and butter. The cookies baked nicely, but it was difficult to tell if they were actually browning or still in need of another minute or two in the oven. Let them cool on the sheets for at least two minutes before moving them to cooling racks since they will be brittle.

The result was chocolate perfection! Soft, luscious, and super chocolaty. The cherries provide a wonderful contrast to the rich chocolate. You could probably use dried cranberries instead, however, I recommend you stick to the recipe and use cherries. Next time, I may try to incorporate marshmallows into the batter or spoon a dab of marshmallow fluff on the top of each just before baking.

I took some into work and shared them with two of my co-workers, Sheryl and Marissa. We share an office so it's not hard to notice when either (or both, in this case) are having a bad day. I took out the cookies, shared them and immediately the tense feeling lifted like a plane rising above the clouds into a sunny sky. The cookies were deemed the "ultimate PMS solution". Watch out Pamprin, there's a new kid in town.

Happy baking!