Lest you think that it's all tofu and whole grains over here, I share with you here an awesome chocolate experience. Some days just require stress baking and the best solution for that is something of the chocolate variety. These definitely fit that bill. The boys (big and small) LOVED these, with their fudgy, chewy goodness, and I loved that I could go from 'hmmm, maybe I want to bake' to smelling awesome chocolatey perfumed air within an hour.
I highly recommend the chocolate chunks you use come from chopping your own dark chocolate bar. Dark, like 60% or darker. Sure, you can use chips but ... part of the fun of these cookies are the irregular pools of dark chocolate bliss in each fudgy bite.
Hope you try these!
Chewy Dark Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 40 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup Lyle's cane syrup or dark corn syrup
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
9 oz (18 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened (70 degrees)
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% or darker), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
For rolling:
3/4 raw sugar, like Demerara
1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
1/4 tsp cardamom, optional
Directions
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
Whisk Lyle's syrup, egg whites, and vanilla together in small bowl or a liquid measure.
In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly. Do not chill longer than 30 minutes.
While waiting for the dough to chill, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine 3/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and cardamom in a small bowl. Divide dough into 2 T balls (using a #30 cookie scoop); roll each into a ball between hands about 11/2 inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into dish with spiced sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with remaining dough. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not overbake.
Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.
Enjoy!
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