Potluck Recipe #45: The Best Cookies Ever

By Jeanne Foels, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator
It doesn’t matter if you are tired of cookies this season — get the mixer back out and make these immediately! Open Arms Chef Cassie made these little gems for our clients a few weeks ago, and the rave reviews haven’t stopped coming. Airy and light as meringue, these chocolate cookies are absolutely divine.
Mocha Chocolate Cookies
From Chef Cassie
Step 1 Ingredients:
1 cup walnuts, toasted
1 cup pecans, toasted
Step 2 Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. coffee concentrate*
Step 3 Ingredients:
4 oz. butter, melted
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
9 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Step 4 Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
Step 5 Ingredients:
8 oz of high-quality semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate bar, cut into pieces
1. Toast nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper at 325 degrees for about 8 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2. Place eggs and sugar into a mixer fitted with a whip attachment and whip the eggs and sugar until it resembles a light meringue that will loosely hold its shape. The mixture will become fluffy and pale yellow in color. When it reaches this point, add vanilla and coffee concentrate. Whip the coffee and vanilla into the mixture until they are incorporated. Turn off mixer and set aside.
3. Combine melted butter, unsweetened chocolate and semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler and stir until all chocolate is melted and butter and chocolate emulsify. Remove from heat. Turn on mixer with egg/sugar meringue and SLOWLY add in the hot butter and chocolate mixture as to temper the eggs.
4. When all of the chocolate mixture is added, change to a paddle attachment or switch to mixing by hand. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until incorporated.
5. Lastly add in the toasted nuts and high-quality semisweet chocolate chips or pieces. Mix just until incorporated, as the dough will be hot and over-mixing at this point will cause the chocolate chips to melt into the dough. Place in the fridge and chill for 15-30 minutes or until dough is set up enough to keep its shape when scooped.
6. Scoop dough using a small ice cream scoop or spoon and drop onto parchment-lined cookie trays. Bake at 325 degrees until the cookies crack like a brownie on top, roughly 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool so they set up, and enjoy!
*You can make your own coffee concentrate by brewing a small amount of very strong coffee. You can also use instant espresso powder.