Chocolate Cookies

 

It's baking season and that means friends are texting me for cookie recipes! I'm still making chocolate chip cookies as described in my latest blog post (over two years ago, "latest" is laced with a heavy dose of sarcasm!)

I've decided to update my chocolate cookie recipe since it's my second most requested. The secret to these is the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder which gives the nice dark color. I use about half special dark and half standard cocoa powder (Trader Joe's is my favorite). I'm not much for sifting but cocoa powder is often lumpy so I make an extra effort for these. 

This cookie dough is versatile. I use it to make sandwich cookies (like homemade Oreos) as shown above. It's a great base for any chocolate chip cookie dough addition- I like it with white chocolate or peppermint chips, or even M&Ms. They taste great with the Andes Mint chips but I haven't been able to find them in store this year. For an extra special treat I frost the top of the cookies with mint or peanut butter frosting and then smear some chocolate ganache on top- it's my favorite mint brownie recipe turned into cookies. The dough also freezes like a dream- I usually scoop the extra with my smallest cookie scoop and freeze the balls. My hungry teen boy snitches them out of the freezer with alacrity.

Let me know how you end up using this recipe. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@anne.strawberry). Happy baking, and happy holidays friends.

Chocolate Cookie Dough
from Anne Strawberry

Yields about 50 standard size cookies

3 cups Flour 
1 cup Cocoa Powder

3/4 cup Special Dark Cocoa Powder
1 tablespoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/4 cups Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened (3 sticks)
3 Eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheets (Grease or line with silicone baking sheet or parchment paper).

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set dry ingredients aside.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes in the KitchenAid). Add egg and beat well. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add in the dry mixture, stirring until just incorporated. Add in any mix ins if desired (chocolate chips, M&Ms, etc). 

Scoop onto the prepared cookie sheet and squish slightly to flatten cookies.

Bake for about 8 or 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.