Chocolate Superstorm Globs

Updated by Blue Heron Kitchen

It’s hurricane season! Make these and have a batch in your freezer for this year’s Superstorm! They’ll last longer than ice cream, the nuts will supply you with protein and the chocolate, with much needed endorphins. You might want to double the recipe because you’ll wind up scarfing a batch down when you see your next LIPA/Con Ed/whatever your power company is bill. We’re paying the piper because we’ve missed the power boat. (Raise your hand if since “Sandy” you now own a solar powered, hand crank radio, an external charger, a better quality, more efficient lighting source … something.) But chocolate counts as alternative power source (do we get tax credit?),

Use excellent quality chocolate. It matters. Use any of these chocolates, and you’ll make any chocolate lover forever yours: Scharffenberger unsweetened chocolate, Valhrona semi-sweet, Guittard chips, Jacques Torres’ dark chocolate discs, chopped.

I have used both nuts, but you can stick to one. Always toast and cool your nuts before you bake. Toast them at 350º F. for about 6-8 minutes, until you can just smell them. Watch them carefully. If they burn, they’re toast. You can play around and try a combination of chopped chocolate, different nuts (the original recipe had walnuts and pecans) and even some dried fruit – try some dried cherries!

These globs freeze very well (until the lights go out). You can bake and freeze them between sheets of parchment or waxed paper (I love waxed paper) in plastic containers, tins or freezer bags. (For anyone with half a chocolate kupf, these are better frozen.)

peace, love and power up (or down),

jane

Ingredients:

5 oz. semisweet chocolate (Scharffenberger or another good quality chocolate)

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (same as above)

4 oz. 83%, European style butter, at room temperature (Plugra brand is a good one)

¾ c. all-purpose, unbleached flour (King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill are good brands)

1 tsp. baking powder (I use Rumford)

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 eggs, size large, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I use Baldwin’s Vanilla)

1 Tbsp. instant espresso powder

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ c. semisweet chocolate ‘chips’ (pre-chipped or chopped by you)

1/3 c. toasted and skinned hazelnuts, chopped

1/3 c. chopped almonds (first, toasted and cooled)

Procedure:

Here is where the mis en place brings you great satisfaction.

Carefully measure out all of the ingredients for this recipe. You’ll just dump one thing in after another and this recipe will feel like you’re on one of those shows on the TV Food Network.

1.  Put the semi and unsweetened chocolates and butter in a stainless bowl, large enough to accommodate them and set it atop a barely simmering pot of hot water. Take care that NO steam or hot water meets the chocolate/butter mixture. Stir and melt. Remove and set aside to COOL. It is critical that you allow for the chocolate and butter mixture to cool sufficiently or else you will wind up cooking your eggs.

2.  Preheat oven to 325º F. and line 3 baking sheets or ½ size sheet pans or jellyroll pans with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper (you should get some), grease the sheets with melted butter. Set aside.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4.  Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and coffee powder until blended.

5.  Add granulated sugar and blend until thick. 1-2 minutes.

6.  Add the cooled , melted chocolate/butter mixture and blend another minute or two. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. (If you have a silicone beater blade, this won’t be necessary!)

7.  Add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed, until just incorporated. No more than that. Fold in the chocolate ‘chips’ and nuts by hand or with the mixer, on low speed.

8.  Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls (I use a small measured scoop), leaving a couple of inches between, onto the prepared sheets.

9. Bake, rotating the sheets,  between the racks, turning them too, about 10-13 minutes, until they rise slightly and form a thin crust. Immediately remove the cookies from the sheets (you can leave them on the parchment) and cool on a rack.       

Yield: 24-36 cookies