Super Chocolatey Cookies

Most "chocolate" cookies are not very chocolatey. I believe the problem is that they are normally made from cocoa powder, which contains only chocolate solids. Cookies made from coca powder will not have any cocoa butter, which gives richness and savoriness that is sorely missed. These cookies have no cocoa powder at all - all the chocolate flavor comes from actual chocolate - 3 kinds in fact (semi-sweet, bittersweet, and unsweetened) - complete with the cocoa butter. The presence of all that fat makes these cookies quite fudgy - more like brownie bites than cookies. One important thing to note is that this cocoa butter will crystalize and become grainy if it cools too quickly. To prevent this, it is recommended that you let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet set on a cooling rack.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (not chopped bittersweet bar chocolate - the texture won't be right - I prefer Ghiridelli's 60% cacao chips)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature (put cold eggs in hot tap water for 2-3 minutes to warm them up)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Hershey's are good)

Directions

Create a chocolate melting rig by wrapping a small metal bowl with an electric heating pad and putting that in a large glass bowl. Put the unsweetened and bittersweet chocolate along with the butter in the metal bowl and turn the heating pad on high. Stir every few minutes until the chocolate is smooth and glossy, between 30 and 60 minutes. Remove metal bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly. If you're in a rush, you can use a double boiler, but the heating pad is a lot less stress.

Beat eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium-high until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in chocolate mixture until combined, 30-60 seconds.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a large, stiff rubber or silacone spatula, fold the flour mixture and semi-sweet chips into the chocolate-egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let thicken for 20-30 minutes, until the batter looks like thick brownie batter or ganache.

Meanwhile, put the oven racks on the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper and drop by heaping tablespoonfulls, 2 inches apart (I use a #60 disher). Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11-14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through the cooking time. Let cool completely on the baking sheets set on cooling racks before serving. Makes between 35 and 50 cookies, depending on how heavy you scoop the batter.

Chicken & Kale Roulade

A roulade is a meat burrito - a flat piece of meat that you top with filling, roll up, and cook. It's a great way to turn a boring piece of meat (a boneless, skinless chicken breast) and turn it into something more elegant. This version is baked with a crispy crust on the outside, but you could just as easily braise the chicken in a savory sauce if you wanted to.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of any rib meat or fat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup sliced white or cremini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano)
  
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced fine
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups stemmed, washed, and chopped kale, packed
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• kosher salt
  

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, onions, and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3-5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the onions have browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add vinegar, broth, oregano, pepper, and kale. Cook, stirring frequently, until the kale has cooked down and the the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a medium glass or ceramic baking dish with nonstick spray. Using a meat mallet (or a aluminum pie tin and a heavy can of food), pound the chicken breasts to a thickness of half an inch. You may want to butterfly the breast if it is very thick (i.e. more than 1 inch). Lubricating the mallet with water or vegetable oil can help prevent tearing (as will using the minimum amount of force necessary). Spread the kale mixture on the chicken and roll up in to as compact a package as you can make it. You may want to use toothpicks to secure the rolls (if you are gentle about handling them, that may be unnecessary). Put the breadcrumbs onto a dinner plate or other dish. Brush as much of a chicken roll as you can with mayonnaise and turn upside down onto the breadcrumbs. Finish coating the chicken with mayonnaise and (gently) roll to coat with breadcrumbs. Place seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with remaining chicken rolls. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Rest uncovered for 5 minutes and serve with rice and steamed vegetables.

Ginger Snaps

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I can't. Alton Brown is the genius who figured this one out. The cardamom, clove, and ginger give the cookies an Indian spiciness that fills the whole house as they cook. There are 3 different kinds of ginger in these cookies: fresh, ground, and candied. Each adds a distinctive flavor - spicy, savory, and sweet. I would highly recommend using homemade candied ginger as it has a depth of flavor not found in store-bought (even if it is a little labor-intensive to make).

Ingredients

• 9 1/2 ounces (by weight) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 ounces (by weight) dark brown sugar
• 5 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• 3 ounces (by weight) molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
• 4 ounces (by weight) finely chopped candied ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cardamom, clove, and salt.

Beat the brown sugar and butter in a mixer on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and fresh ginger and increase speed to medium, mix for 1 more minute. Turn off the mixer and remove the bowl. Add the candiedginger and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and thoroughly mix with the rubber spatula, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using a small (2 teaspoon) scoop, drop the cookies 2 inches apart and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes (for chewier cookies), up to 15 minutes (for crispy cookies). Rotate the pan 180 degrees halfway through cooking.

When the time is up, remove the pan from the oven. Let the cookies cool for 30 seconds on the pan before sliding the parchment (with the cookies) off the pan onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough, refrigerating between batches (you may have to slightly increase cooking time with the cold batter). Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days - not that they'll actually last that long!