Mocha Snow Caps

I'm happy to be joining the Secret Recipe Club again this month.  What's the Secret Recipe Club?  Basically, it's a once-a-month blog hop party for food bloggers - each month, participants are assigned another member's blog where they secretly spend time perusing the assigned blog, pick a recipe, make it, write a blog post about it, and then everyone reveals their secret by publishing their posts at the same time.

My assigned blog - Living Lou... and guess what - she's only 18 years old!  Lou has a truly wonderful blog.  She's a gifted writer and photographer, and she's a world traveler with a rather sophisticated palate for someone her age.  I'm so impressed with the variety of food she's made over the past year and a half, and I look forward to enjoying what she has to offer for years to come.

So, what recipe did I choose?  It was so hard to pick just one.  I must have glanced at every recipe on Lou's blog 3 or 4 times, each time gravitating to her Snow Cap Cookies .  Lou's beautiful photo hooked me instantly.

My review - Lou describes these cookies as "pure heaven", and I have to agree - they're amazing!  These soft and chewy chocolate and espresso cookies melt in your mouth.  Thanks for introducing our family to a new favorite, Lou.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• high quality espresso powder https://amzn.to/2Q0pYTH

• high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/2Hg2mrn

• commercial half sheet pans https://amzn.to/2vVEaUJ

• silicone sheet pan liner https://amzn.to/2Vqo0gE

• precut parchment paper https://amzn.to/2YmYURB

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Mocha Snow Cap Cookies

makes 18 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (Dutch-processed)

• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 egg

• 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 1/3 cup confectioners or icing sugar (for coating)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.  Melt chocolate and set aside to cool before adding to the other ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt; set aside until needed.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add egg and cooled chocolate; mix to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing well after each addition. Finally mix in the milk and shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic and put in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until firm and easy to work with.

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners and prepare a bowl with your powdered sugar. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll into powdered sugar to coat.  Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread during baking.

6. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies have spread and are cracked on top. The cookies will be soft to the touch. Allow them to cool completely.  Enjoy!!

adapted from livinglou.com

Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Another no-bake cookie treat to share with you today.  They're a little different than the No Bake Cereal Cookie Balls I made last month, I prefer the look of these as they're dipped in dark chocolate - Hello!  Add  some colorful sprinkles for a fun touch, or leave them unadorned for a more elegant look.

Event - Crazy Cooking Challenge hosted by Tina

Challenge - make a recipe from any blog to fit this month's theme (chocolate chip cookies)

Recipe and Blog I chose to feature - Frozen Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls by Joy the Baker

My Tweaks (reflected below) - I doubled the vanilla, added a little shortening to the chocolate coating, and made smaller cookie balls.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls 

makes 30 small cookie dough balls (#100 scoop)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoons fine salt

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt (or applesauce or peanut butter)

• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

For the chocolate coating:

• 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted for dipping

• 1/2 tablespoon shortening (for shine)

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a BeaterBlade attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes.

2. Beat in yogurt (or applesauce or peanut butter) along with the vanilla extract and stir to combine.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; add all at once to the butter and sugar mixture and stir until incorporated; fold in chocolate chips.

4. Use #100 cookie scoop to portion dough onto a Silpat lined half sheet pan.

5. Place in the freezer overnight or until frozen, at least three hours.

6. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in a small saucepan over a low heat.

7. Remove cookie cough balls from the freezer and dip into warm chocolate.

8. Return to the lined cookie sheet and return to the freezer to harden. Serve cold from the freezer.

recipe adapted from Joy the Baker

(affiliate links)