Cookies are not just for kids….and this dark and decadent recipe is definitely suited to an adult palette. I think a grown-up cookie needs a Wine Pairing to go with it. Cookies and wine you say? Read on young grasshopper!
First, the acknowledgements. I have adapted this recipe from one by Jenelle McCulloch, originally published in the 2020 issue of Our Homes Magazine. I switched out the cayenne pepper for Ancho Chili Powder (it pairs so well with dark chocolate). I used Maldon Sea Salt in the cookie dough and on top (I love the flavour of this salt as well as the look of its large, sparkling crystals. Salt enhances the flavour of dark chocolate). For the cocoa powder, I used my favourite Cacao Barry Extra Brut powder because of its rich dark colour and deep cocoa taste. Instead of regular chocolate chips, I chose Callebaut Mini Dark Chocolate Chips for their decadent dark chocolate taste and tiny size (10,000 count/450 grams – which gives you excellent chip distribution).
Visit our Chocolatier’s Pantry in our shop to purchase the Cacao Barry Extra Brut Cocoa Powder and Callebaut Mini Dark Chocolate Chips.
Keep in mind that the prep for this recipe needs to be done the day before you want to bake them as they must chill at least 12 hours in the fridge after mixing.
Use a stand mixer and don’t worry if the batter seems too thick, that is how it should be. At first, I thought I had missed an ingredient!
I know you are not supposed to eat raw cookie dough, but I have been doing it since I was a kid and still do it now! At first, I did not taste the spices as the dark chocolate flavour is so intense but…wait for it…there it was after a few seconds on the palette. Just a nice warm heat, not too spicy. Feel free to double the chili pepper to 1 tsp if you want a stronger kick of spicy heat.
Gather your ingredients:
1 ½ cups of all-purpose Flour
1 cup Extra Brut Cocoa Powder
¾ tsp Baking Soda
¾ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
½ tsp Ancho Chile Powder (or use Cayenne as was in the original recipe)
½ tsp ground Ginger
½ tsp Maldon Sea Salt (or other sea salt)
¾ cup of salted butter at room temp
¾ cup brown Sugar
¾ cup white Sugar
2 Eggs at room temp
½ cup Callebaut Mini Dark Chocolate Chips
Method:
In a large bowl, blend flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt with a whisk.
Using the stand mixer, beat together the softened butter and both sugars until well blended.
Add half of the dry ingredients on low speed, mixing until combined. Then add the remainder, and blend well.
Blend in the mini chocolate chips – the batter will be very thick!
Wrap the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 12 hours – up to 72 hours.
Bake:
Set oven to 375° F
Use a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie to create about a 2” diameter. (I don’t recommend using a cookie scoop – the batter is too thick) Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie tray. Leave a space of about 2” between each cookie, they will flatten and spread.
Add a pinch of the Maldon Sea Salt to the centre of each cookie.
Bake for 12-14 minutes. They will look a bit soft when they are done, don’t overbake!
Let them rest on the cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes, then gently move the cookies to a rack to further cool.
And now the part you have all been waiting for…..the Wine Pairing!
A classic pairing for dark chocolate is a full-bodied red wine. Choose one that has some of the same flavour notes that are in the cookie for a beautiful Complementary Pairing. I have chosen Malivoire’s Stouck Farmstead Red 2017. (This is the same wine we use in our Raspberry Merlot Fork-Dipped Artisan Chocolates).
Here is how the winemaker describes this wine….“Plum, cinnamon and cigar box nestle into darkly fruity, spicy and earthy aromas. A mouthful is deep and luscious. Flavours combine black cherry, cocoa and coffee with a lingering nutty, oak-vanilla undercurrent.
So we can see why this pairing works; “cinnamon”, “cocoa”, “spicy” …similar flavour notes that are in our cookie. You do not need to buy the exact same wine to have a successful pairing. Just look for one that has similar flavor notes and experiment!
Chocolatier’s Pro Tip: To do a proper tasting, and to bring out the most flavour notes, take a small sip of the wine and make sure it covers the entire surface of your tongue. Swallow the wine, then take a bite of the cookie. When you still have a little bit of the cookie left on your palette, take another good sip of the wine, and let the flavors blend. If it is a successful pairing, the wine will make the cookie taste better and vice versa. The Malivoire wine I used was a perfect paring – and the residual flavours on the palette were amazing! Even lingering long after the wine and cookie were gone.
We will delve deeper into wine and chocolate pairing in a future blog.
So the next time you need to bring a bottle of wine to a friend’s house (post Pandemic) bake a batch of Double Dark Chocolate Cookies for what will likely be their very first Wine and Cookie Pairing!
Enjoy!
Lori Eisenberger
Owner and Master Chocolatier
Beanermunky Chocolate Dundas
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