Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Cookies

Take a relatively light double chocolate cookie, dip it in chocolate, sprinkle it with salt and pistachios and voila, you have a whole new cookie.

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Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Cookies

Cookies:
One batch of my salted chocolate cookies (omit salt to top)

8 oz. semi sweet or good quality dark chocolate
Chopped pistachios
Flaked sea salt

Melt the chocolate slowly over a double boiler and let cool slightly. One by one, dip part of each cookie into the chocolate, set on a wire rack or parchment paper, sprinkle lightly (or heavily) with salt and pistachios.

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Chocolate Cherry Biscotti

I am a big believer in mastering a handful of recipes that seem far more difficult to make than they really are. The key is to not divulge this fact and instead simply say "thank you" when people compliment you (which they will).

In my opinion, eclairs fall into this group of recipes as do meringues, caramels, and biscotti.  This recipe is filled with dark chocolate and cherries but if you are not a fan of those flavors, you could substitute practically any nut or dried fruit...pistachios, cranberries, white chocolate, rosemary and apricot... 

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Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 1999

Make the biscotti: Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. 

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Mix sugar, melted and cooled butter, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until combined. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir until it is all incorporated. Mix in chocolate and cherries until combined.

Divide the dough in half and then shape each half into a 2-inch by 13-inch log (flouring your hands can make this part easier as it is a sticky dough). Place them on the baking sheet and space them apart by at least 3 inches.

Bake logs for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool completely (20-40 minutes), remove then from the baking sheet and place them on a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice the logs on a diagonal into 1/2-inch wide slides. Arrange the slices cute side down on the same baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes on each side.

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (60-70%)
1 cup dried cherries, chopped

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You Say Nougat, I Say Nougat

Yes, the nougat inside of a candy bar is delicious…if you like the taste of fluffy corn syrup dipped in mass-manufactured wax. Let me put it this way, I would always choose one of my caramels over a Snickers bar. But I digress…I had been meaning to make nougat for a few weeks and finally got around to it. Here is a little background on nougat: it is simply a candy made with sugar and/or honey. The most popular variety is made with beaten egg whites and sugar and/or honey. It is bright white, chewy, and tends to include toasted nuts and dried fruit. Nougat can also be made sans eggs yielding a much crunchier consistency. It can also be made with chocolate or almost entirely made of nuts…let’s be honest, they all sound pretty good.

I decided to make the bright white, chewy version with pistachios and dried cherries. Not only are pistachios and cherries delicious on their own, they are also great together…oh, and the colors are gorgeous.

If you have ever made marshmallows, you can make nougat. There are three steps:

1. Cook sugar and honey.

2. Beat egg whites.

3. Pour sugar and honey mixture into egg whites while mixer is running.

The sad thing about this recipe is that the honey flavor was overpowering. Although the nougat was gorgeous and the consistency was spot on, the flavor was a little off. I plan on freezing the rest of the batch, cracking it into pieces, and adding it to ice cream. 

Aren't they gorgeous?

Sugar and honey begins to melt.

The mixture cooks until it reaches 252 degrees.

It is poured into the egg whites while mixer runs.

Ta dah!