Another year with no Christmas tree, no decorations, no holiday cheeriness in our house. It's making me crave the comforts of the season, and it wouldn't be Christmas without cookies. I'm always looking for ways to make something chocolate-y without a lot of sugar, and these bite-size chocolate wonders are a big hit of cocoa goodness.
Ingredients:
4 oz. bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate*
1 stick (8tbsp.) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sucanat, rapadura or brown sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup white spelt or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cacao nibs
Makes about 40 bite-size cookies.
Preheat the oven to 350° F, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
I like to use my standing mixer bowl over a pot of boiling water to melt together 3 oz. of the chocolate and all of the butter. You can do it in a small saucepan over low heat as well. *If you use unsweetened chocolate, add a tablespoon or two of your unrefined sugar of choice. Let cool for about 10 minutes. If using small saucepan, transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl. In the meantime, sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in another bowl, and set aside. Finely chop the reserved chocolate and set aside.
Whisk the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture, and add the sugar. Mix well. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture until combined and fold in the cacao nibs, salt and the rest of the chocolate. The batter will be very thick.
Use a teaspoon to make round scoops, and use your hands to form batter into small balls. Place them about one-inch apart on the cookie sheet and put the whole thing in the fridge for about 10 minutes before baking (so they don't spread).
Bake for seven to ten minutes until the tops are just set. Let cool for a minute or two so you don't burn your tongue!
A few notes:
- Use good quality chocolate. I prefer Scharffen Berger, El Rey or Valrhorna. Ghirardelli will work. Specialty stores and Whole Foods often carry blocked chocolate and cocoa powder in bulk.
- Err on the side of raw in the middle--you won't regret it.
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