Sunday, November 14, 2010

Chocolate-Covered Chocolate-Mint Cookies (just like the Girl Scout cookies)

These cookies are crazy-good and taste exactly like Girl Scout mint cookies, but with better chocolate!

I didn't make a vegan version as I wasn't sure what to expect from the recipe, but you can easily make these dairy free by using an egg replacer instead of the two yolks, and margarine instead of butter. I'm happy to report that the cookies are not difficult to make and bake up beautifully. Even the chocolate dipping is fairly simple.

The chocolate coating in this recipe needs to be tempered. If you're not familiar with tempering chocolate, this is my favorite explanatory video. It's from Jacques Torres and he's just so cute and funny. I bypassed having to temper the chocolate by keeping the cookies in the fridge and freezer. But, it really didn't matter since Dave virtually inhaled all of the cookies the minute he set eyes on them.

The recipe is from Sherry Yard's, Desserts by the Yard.
Desserts by the Yard: From Brooklyn to Beverly Hills: Recipes from the Sweetest Life Ever

Chocolate-Covered Chocolate-Mint Cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate

Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, peppermint oil, and vanilla and pulse until a dough forms on the blades of the processor.

Remove the dough from the processor and shape into a 2-inch thick log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place the rack in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch thick disks and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom and rotate from front to back and continue to bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches. Do not handle the cookies until they are cool, or they'll break; they're very delicate.

Melt and temper the bittersweet chocolate. Keep the chocolate warm while you dip the cookies.

Place a sheet pan upside down on your work surface, next to the melted chocolate. Cover with parchment. Dip the cookies one by one in the chocolate, using a fork to turn them over and then lift them out of the chocolate.

Set the dipped cookies on the parchment, beginning at the far end so you don't drip chocolate on other cookies when you set them down. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

2 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, those sound fantastic! Girl Scout cookies are good, but I'm sure these would be much better!

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  2. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Michele. These have got to be way better than the original. I do love that chocolate-mint marriage, though. :)

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