Last Saturday, during lunch, my Dad said accusingly to my Mom, that if she had invited me for lunch, they would have had a dessert.
And he was right. His statement made me realize that almost always I have something sweet to share with my family and friends. Because if only two people were to eat the produce of my silent obsession, these two people, who also happen to have a big sweet tooth, would have some serious weight problems by now (even more serous that the ones already existing). And I don’t want that to happen. So, I share. And people are starting to see me as the dessert lady.
While the above mentioned lunch was taking place, not so far away from my parents’ home, a little girl… (OK, an adult woman!) was raging in a small kitchen, splattered in jam, chocolate and flour. Ironically, since I’ve started this blog, there is a lot less baking after dark. Because, you know, pictures and stuff.
So Saturday I was in the kitchen and inspired by all the lovely red, pink and chocolate delights that everyone is sharing so generously in pinterest, I was also making Valentine’s dessert. And because for my significant other, love means chocolate, chocolate I was dealing with.
Needless to say, my parents received their dessert for dinner.
Chocolate cookies
/Adapted from Serious Eats/
- 2 ½ cups (320 gr.) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (10 gr.) cocoa
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup +1 tablespoon (240 gr.) butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (80 gr.) sugar
- 200 gr.(7 oz.) dark chocolate, I used 64%
- Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt.
- Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with the mixer on medium speed, until white and fluffy, around 5 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate over a bowl of simmering water and let it cool.
- Add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture and mix until fully incorporated.
- Add the flour in three additions mixing well after each one.
- Divide the dough in two equal balls, flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Line two baking sheets with plastic paper.
- Take one of the disks out of the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly flour surface to a thickness of 0.5 cm/ 1/8 inch. Using floured cookie cutters, cut out the desired shapes.
- Transfer the cookies to the baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Take out the cookies from the oven and let cool in the pans for few minutes, remove from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Use smooth jam of your choice (I used quince) or the butter filling to sandwich the cookies. Spread 1 teaspoon of the filling on the flat side of a cookie, gently press another cookie over the filling.
Butter filling
- ½ cup (120 ml.) whole milk
- 1 tablespoon (10 gr.) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 gr.) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (60 gr.) butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (30 gr.) powder sugar
- Dissolve the flour and sugar in the milk. Boil over gentle heat stirring constantly for minutes. Remove from the heat, pass the mixture through a sieve and add the vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
- Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the milk to the butter and mix well.
