Espresso Yourself
I love cookies. On any given day of the week I would rather eat a fantastic cookie than any other baked good. Typically I go for the classics: Oreos or Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies (with a tall glass of milk, natch) but sometimes I like to get fancy and shake things up.
These cookies shake things up.
I love these cookies for many reasons. They melt in your mouth. They make the whole house smell good when you bake them. They're not horribly unhealthy for you...well, sort of. They're super easy. Did I mention they melt in your mouth?
My boyfriend loses his shit when I send them to him at school and although he is happy with any baked goods, these are by far his favorite. I think these are better when you make them small so you can just eat the whole damn thing at once.
These are also vegan because they use olive oil (which is what gives them their great texture) and not butter. See, another vegan cookie recipe that doesn't taste like shit! It's worth using good olive oil when you make these because sometimes cheaper olive oil can make them taste awkwardly like Italian food.
The chocolate flavor isn't overpowering and neither is the espresso. They come together in a surprisingly sophisticated way to the point where you could bring these as a hostess gift or to a dinner potluck and have everyone wondering if you're sleeping with Mario Batali.
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TBS Espresso Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
Sugar, for rolling
1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Set aside and let cool until lukewarm. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso, baking soda, and cinnamon.
2. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, vanilla and almond extracts. Add this to the dry mixture. Add the melted chocolate and stir until the mixture comes together into a uniform mass.
3. Using your hands, roll the dough into ball about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Roll and cover completely in sugar, and place them 2 inches apart on the parchment lined baking sheets. Use your palm to very gently flatten the cookies a bit, as they don’t spread much. Bake the cookies until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. DO NOT OVERBAKE, THE BOTTOMS OF THE COOKIES WILL BURN AND TASTE DISGUSTING.
4. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
