Brittany's Pantry
Get it? Midnight? Great recipe for New Years, don’t you think?
This picture actually doesn’t quite capture the correct color. They are super dark. Like…midnight dark:)
Actually, these cookies are fantastic just about anytime of the year, even though I usually make them around the holidays. They are a wonderful contribution to the cookie plate but honestly. Can you see many people looking at this treat in July and saying ‘No!’ to a dense, bittersweet chocolate cookie? I didn’t think so. The wonderful thing about these cookies is that the flavor is just a tiny bit different than a straightforward chocolate cookie. What does this mean? It means you end up really really liking them. Like…a lot. I have been making them for years and am always a little surprised when I eat my first one of the batch. “Oh yeah,” I say to myself, “THIS is why I always liked these!” If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize this conversation. I have it with my self all the time and in turn, end up babbling about it here to you. No matter how many times I make a dish, I can still be wonderfully shocked at how fantastic it is. I like to think this is one of the things that my husband finds attractive about me. I pray he still finds it endearing that I can make a shrimp pasta that I make ALL THE TIME or a coffee cake I whipped up twice in one week and still roll my eyes to the heavens, savoring the flavor and hopping up and down in what he calls my ‘happy food dance’. All because food never ceases to amaze me. And on that note, I hope food continues to knock my socks of for the rest of my days. I once saw an extremely elderly couple at a pizza place and they looked so…um advanced in years that I would have had my doubts of their making it through the meal had I been their server. When I glanced at the table they each had one of the most enormous pilsners of beer I have ever seen and were sharing a huge pizza that from what I could tell, was covered with nothing but cheese and enough jalapenos to kill a cat. This was years ago and I still think about that couple. And I sincerely hope that is Mike and I someday.
Only I will probably be drinking milk, not beer, but that kind of shatters the image doesn’t it?
So back to the cookies! Like most cookie recipes, this one is easy and straightforward. It will satisfy the most intense chocolate craving so keep them in mind for the pregnant lady in your life. Just sayin.
One Year Ago: Sweet Cream Biscuits & Cranberry Orange Scones
Midnight Crackles
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
The ingredients in this recipe have not changed from the original, but after years of fussing with the baking technique, I realize that I have come to disagree with the wonderful Dorie Greenspan. Please don’t tell her. Also, don’t disregard what seems like unimportantly small measures of spice in this recipe. It makes a difference.
In a medium size sauce pan, melt together over very low heat:
10 T unsalted butter
1 1/4 c brown sugar
10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips, preferably Ghirardelli, or an equal amount of good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Stir the mixture occasionally until the chocolate is just barely melted and smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool slightly. Add 2 eggs and mix well. Sift together and add:
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
Mix all ingredients until just combined. The dough will come together in a ball and look kind of shiny. Scoop out a chunk of dough about the size of a prune and roll into a smooth ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and flatten slightly with you fingers, keeping the cookies a good 2 inches apart from each other. Bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes or until cracked and dry on top. DO NOT OVER BAKE! Let cool for a few minutes on the pan to set up and then remove to a cooling rack. Store tightly sealed for up to 5 days or freeze for a month.
Leek & Potato Soup
Brittany wrote this on 27 December 2011
bacon, chicken broth, gluten-free, leeks, potatoes
Christmas is over and everyone is gearing up for the New Year. Well, most everyone. Our holiday here didn’t quite go as planned as both of my kids were are sick. No Christmas Eve appetizer dinner. No festive brunch and Christmas Day Feast. Just macaroni and cheese and soup I had frozen. We lounged around, used up four boxes of Kleenex, and distributed medicine to keep the fevers down. They have been sick a full week and my husband and I are continually praying that they pull out of this soon. In the meantime, we eat soup.
This happens to be one of my husbands most favorite soups. I just love the fact that it goes together pretty quick and makes a perfectly sized batch; not too big, not too small. It is made with leeks, which if you have never cooked with them before have a really mild onion flavor to them. They look like really big scallions (green onions) but are actually totally different. This is a leek:
Not very intimidating is it?! To give you a perspective on scale, it is about 14 inches long and as big around as a stick of butter. When they are cooked down, they become wonderfully sweet. You can find leeks at just about any local market. Our little hometown store even carries them here. The only tricky thing about leeks is cleaning them so please read the note at the end of the recipe or your soup will end up extra crunchy from all the sand instead of crunchy from the bacon! This soup is light, and warm and creamy. Add a hunk of crusty bread and it makes a great lunch or light supper.
Leek & Potato Soup
I prefer to use low sodium bacon, but use what you like. Just make sure it is nice and smokey. This is not the recipe for maple or brown sugar bacon!
1/2 lb bacon, diced
3 large leeks, sliced and cleaned, white and pale green parts only (see Note)
2 large white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 (49 oz) can good quality chicken broth or about 6 cups
1 T fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1/2 c cream, optional
In a medium sized pot, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels and set aside. Add the leeks to the bacon fat and saute the leeks over medium low heat until soft (3-4 minutes), but do not let them brown. When leeks are wilted, add the potatoes, chicken broth and fresh thyme. Bring the soup to a simmer and let it bubble very gently until the potatoes are completely cooked through. Using an immersion blender, process the soup until smooth. Alternatively, pour the soup (in batches if necessary) into a blender and blend until smooth, returning to the soup pot when you are done. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN BLENDING HOT FOODS! DO SMALL AMOUNTS AT A TIME! At this point, go ahead and add the cream if you want and bring the whole thing up to temp. Taste to see of it needs salt or pepper. You may not need to add any if your bacon was salty or peppery enough. Sprinkle with crispy bacon and enjoy!
Note #1: Leeks are grown in very sandy soil and that sand gets trapped between the layers. To clean a leek, trim off the darkest green ends and the root end and discard. Cut the leek in half lengthwise down the middle, and then crosswise into little half moons. In a bowl filled with cold water, swoosh the leeks around in the water, breaking the layers apart as you go. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the leeks will float. When they are clean, grab the leeks out in handfuls, shaking off excess water and use as directed.
Note #2: There are several ways to make this recipe even healthier. After sauteing the bacon, pour off the fat and wipe out the pan. Use a bit of olive oil to saute the leeks in instead. Also, omit the cream and the soup will be just and thick and creamy. Use a low fat, low sodium chicken broth or even vegetable broth for the liquid.
Merry Christmas
Brittany wrote this on 26 December 2011
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
