Fudge Drops

OK, again, another Pinterest recipe. Sorry folks, don't mean to be repetitive but Pinterest is just my "go to" when I'm looking for a recipe. And who can pass up a recipe for Brownie Cookies. Not me, that's fo show! This "Fudge Drops" recipe promised a lot. But, it came from the King Arthur web site and thus far, King Arthur recipes haven't let me down so I was willing to plunk down the serious bucks for some serious chocolate and give this recipe a try. Expectations were high to say the lest. See how it turned out. . .

The players: chocolate (bittersweet or semi-sweet)*, butter, sugar, eggs, instant coffee (or espresso powder), vanilla, AP flour, baking powder and salt. Chocolate Chips (not shown) are optional (if you're from Mars). In my book, chocolate chips are always mandatory.

*You see here that I used bittersweet chocolate. This makes for a super super rich cookie. Unless you are an uber dark chocolate lover I would recommend semi-sweet chocolate. There isn't a whole lot of sugar in this recipe to sweeten up the bittersweet chocolate. Next time I'll use semi-sweet. 

Coarsely chop the chocolate and put in a microwave safe bowl with the butter. Heat 30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until chocolate and butter are melted and combined. Start with 30 seconds at a time and then go 10-15 seconds. Avoid over heating the chocolate, it could burn. Once the butter is melted and the chocolate is mostly melted, you can just stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely smooth.

The mixture may seem to get thicker. That's because there is some water in the butter and the chocolate is trying to seize a bit. This won't matter so don't worry about it. Set this aside and let it cool off a bit.

In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar.

Add the slightly cooled chocolate and beat well.

Then add the coffee, vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt. Mix just until combined.

Stir in the chocolate if you decided to use them (and I assume you did).

What you've got now is somewhere between a batter and a dough. If you tried to bake it you'd have lumpy pancakes. Cover the batter and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until thoroughly chilled. I went overnight. 

After the dough is thoroughly chilled, scoop out rounded tablespoons full. Set them about 2 inches apart on a greased parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet.

Bake at 325°F until the tops are shiny and just start to crack. For a soft fudgy cookie, err on the side of underdone. If you over bake them, they'll still taste good but won't stay soft. Cool for a minute to two on the cookie sheet then loosen the bottom with a spatula. Keep them on the cookie sheet until they are cooled completely. This recipe really works best if you have two cookie sheets rotating in and out of the oven.

These cookies delivered what they promised: a soft brownie like cookie with a whopping hit of chocolate. They stayed soft for days in an airtight container but were firm enough not to stick together (I hate when that happens). They are exactly what a cookie version of a brownie would be. Crisp and crackly on the outside and soft and fudgy on the inside. Again, I used bittersweet chocolate and boy oh boy were they rich and chocolaty. Whoa mamma! Now if you are an uber chocolate lover you may like the bittersweet chocolate, and I can't believe I'm about to write this but. . .they were a bit much for me. Did I just admit that something was too chocolaty? YIKES! Next time (and yes, there will be a next time) I think I'll use semi-sweet chocolate. 

Follow this link to the recipe: Fudge Drops