1st Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange

Here's the recipe for the Hot Cocoa Mix! (For a single serving, use 1 cup of milk with 2.5 tablespoons of the mix.)

Hot Chocolate Mix

Fancy hot chocolate mixes can be wildly expensive, but they’re extremely easy to make at home. This one uses a mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate to give it a deeply complex flavor. (For a vegan version, you can substitute vegan milk chocolate.) This will keep for at least six months stored at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS

*Yield: 4 servings*

• ⅓ cup / 35 grams confectioners’ sugar

• ¼ cup / 30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, either natural or Dutch-process (see Tip)

• ¼ cup / 40 grams chopped bittersweet chocolate (preferably 62 to 72 percent cacao)

• ¼ cup / 40 grams chopped milk chocolate or vegan milk chocolate

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)

• Pinch of fine sea salt

• Mini marshmallows

PREPARATION

Step 1

In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, cocoa powder, both chocolates, vanilla paste (if using) and salt. Pulse to pulverize into a coarse powder. Transfer to an airtight jar. Package marshmallows in another airtight jar.

Step 2

To prepare: Fill a small pot with 4 cups whole milk or your favorite alternative milk (almond, oat, rice, coconut, etc.), and bring to a simmer. Whisk in cocoa mixture until very smooth. Serve topped with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Tip

Natural cocoa will give you a more complex flavor; Dutch-process gives a deeper, richer color.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Nowadays, chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cafés always come jumbo-sized (think saucer plate). These cookies are incred- ibly appealing and satisfying-thick and chewy rounds loaded with as many chocolate chips as they can hold. We wanted our own version that retained the soft and tender texture of these café cookies, even after a day or two (not that they'd be hanging around that long).

One key element in achieving this cookie was melting the butter, which created a product with a chewy texture. But to keep the cookie from becoming tough, we had to add a little extra fat, which we did in the form of an egg yolk; the added fat acts a tenderizer and prevents the cookies from hardening after several hours. The usual suspects of all-purpose flour, baking soda, an egg, brown sugar, and granulated sugar made an appearance in our cookie recipe, and vanilla provided a light flavor. A good amount of chocolate chips guaranteed that every bite was rich and chocolaty. Finally, we formed the dough into balls, then pulled each ball into two pieces and rejoined them with the uneven surface facing up; now our cookies had the rustic, craggy appearance we wanted.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

MAKES ABOUT 18 LARGE COOKIES

To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheets.

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (about 10% ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon table salt

• 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar

• 1 large whole egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1½ cups (9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower- middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed until smooth. about 1 minute. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed with a rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips until just incorporated.

4. Divide the dough into 18 portions, each about 1/4 cup, and roll them between your hands into balls. Holding one dough ball with your fingers, pull the dough apart into two equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with the jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the edges start to harden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets.

Makes 30 Cookies
The almonds will continue to toast while the biscotti bake, so toast the nuts only until they are just fragrant.

• 1/4 cups whole almonds, lightly toasted 14 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 large eggs, plus 1 large white beaten with pinch salt

• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1½ teaspoons almond extract

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Vegetable oil spray

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw two 8 by 3-inch rectangles, spaced 4 inches apart, on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it. marked side down.

2. Pulse 1 cup almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses; transfer to bowl and set aside. Process remaining 1/4 cup almonds in food processor until finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; process to combine, about 15 seconds. Transfer flour mixture to second bowl. Process 2 in now-empty food processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla and until combined, about 10 seconds. Transfer egg mixture to medium bowl. Sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg mixture and, using spatula, gently fold until just combined. Add remaining flour mixture and chopped almonds and gently fold until just combined.

3. Divide batter in half. Using floured hands, form each half into 8 by 3-inch rectangle, using lines on parchment as guide. Spray each loaf lightly with oil spray. Using rubber spatula lightly coated with oil spray, smooth tops and sides of rectangles. Gently brush tops of loaves with egg white wash. Bake until loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.

4. Let loaves cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes. Transfer loaves to cutting board. Using serrated knife, slice each loaf on slight bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay slices, cut side down, about 1/4 inch apart on wire rack set in rimmed bak- ing sheet. Bake until crisp and golden brown on both sides, about 35 minutes, flipping slices halfway through baking. Let cool completely before serving. Biscotti can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 month.

Why this recipe works
We wanted biscotti that were hard and crunchy, but not hard to eat, and bold in flavor. To keep the crumb crisp, we used just a small amount of butter (4 tablespoons), and to keep the biscotti from being too hard, we ground some of the nuts to a fine meal, which helped minimize gluten development in the crumb. To ensure bold flavor in a biscuit that gets baked twice, we increased the quantities of almond extract and of the aromatic herbs and spices used in our variations, such as anise, rosemary, lavender, cardamom, and cloves.

While a big slice of German chocolate cake may appeal to many, baking one from scratch may not. That’s where these cookies come in. They satisfy the craving for deep, dark pools of warm chocolate, sweet pecans and fragrant coconut with only a fraction of the work. To toast the coconut, spread it out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes. Take it out of the oven when the edges and some of the coconut in the center are deep golden brown. It’s fine if some of the coconut is still pale.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 2 dozen

• 1 cup/128 grams all-purpose flour

• ½ cup/47 grams natural cocoa powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 8 tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

• ½ cup/101 grams granulated sugar

• ½ cup/110 grams packed dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1½ cups/128 grams lightly toasted, sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 cup/170 grams chopped bittersweet chocolate

• 1 cup/119 grams chopped pecans

PREPARATION

Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla until smooth.

Step 2
Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture. Add coconut, chocolate and pecans and mix to just combine.

Step 3
Portion the dough in 2 tablespoon scoops and roll them into balls. Place them on parchment-lined baking sheets, at least 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until dry on top but still soft in the center, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately tap the sheets against a work surface to deflate them slightly. Let the cookies sit on the sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Possible Variation: Use unsweetened coconut and then a 50/50 mix of chopped bittersweet and semisweet chocolate. Flatten the dough balls before baking.