Chocolate Chewies

Last night I made chocolate chewies. They were definitely chocolatey, and very very chewy. They looked like crater rings. They puffed up in the oven and then caved in on themselves. Paper-thin crusty cookie bits were everywhere. Half of them never cooked in the middle, while the other half were ok--but even thinner. I thought they tasted like powdered sugar. Travis thought they were weird, too. Mom and Dad loved them, but I think they were just saying that so as to not devistate their daughter.

I had really high hopes for these cookies, too. They are flourless and easy as pie (about 100 times easier, actually!), requiring only cocoa powder, egg whites, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. They are chocolaty and nonfat. But my cookies were SO dissapointing. I couldn't really figure out why, either. I followed the recipe exacty...except..I didn't.

Rereading the recipe at 101 Cookbooks just now, I was suddenly corrected.

No wonder they tasted like powdered sugar.

Who knew the extra 3T of cocoa powder could make such a difference? Oops..

(Yes, I still brought them to work and fed them to my coworkers. I'll bring them extra delicious cookies next week to make up for it.)

Nonfat Ginger Cookies

I have several go-to cookie recipes, and this is by far my favorite. The cookies are everything a ginger cookie should be: sweet, spicy, chewy, and all-around delicious.

But more importantly, this is the ultimate comfort cookie. It's the 'I got yelled at by my boss' cookie. Or the A pen leaked on my favorite jeans' cookie. Or even the 'It's raining outside, and that sucks' cookie'. It's a giant hug of a cookie.

It's also the 'I forgot to record America's Next Top Model this week' cookie.

Which, for the record, I totally remembered to do. But just in case I forget, there are always ginger cookies.

The recipe is based on David Lebovitz's.

Nonfat Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4c all-purpose flour
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (Note: light brown sugar will work in a pinch)
1t baking soda
1/4t salt
1/2t freshly, finely ground black pepper
2t ground ginger
2 1/2t ground cinnamon
1/4t ground cloves
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4c unsweetened applesauce
1/3c molasses
Optional: 1/2c finely-chopped candied ginger


Directions:
In a stand mixer, beat the molasses, applesauce and sugar on medium speed for five minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Scrape sides of bowl, add egg whites, and beat on medium speed for one minute. Add dry ingredients and beat on low until thoroughly incorporated.

Chill the dough for half an hour*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchement paper or silpats. Put racks in the top and bottom third of the oven.

Pour 1/3c granulated sugar into a bowl, and mix in 1T ground cinnamon plus 1/2t ground ginger. Drop dough in 1-2T amounts (depending on how big you want your cookies) into the sugar and roll into a rough ball, coating coating with sugar. Place cookies 2-3 inches apart. Bake two sheets at a time, for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through. At twelve minutes watch them carefully--the cookies are done as soon as the tops are set and slightly firm to the touch. Don't overbake them! Better to bake them a minute to little than a minute too long. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for a minute or two, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy!

*Note: The first time I made these cookies, I didn't chill the dough and they turned out beautifully. The second time I made them, I did refrigerate the dough and they turned out great again, but much 'rounder'. Whether or not chilling or not chiling the dough will affect your cookies depends on many things. Chill if you like, or be bold and put them straight in the oven.

When Your Valentine is Inedible..

I suppose this confirms the existence of superstition. I should've known better than to write a glowing post about my amazing heart-shaped whoopie pies before actually tasting one. They taste like the kind of cookie you would give to someone as a valentine if you were really mad at them. They're anti-valentine cookies. They're deceiving, to be sure: bright red, appropriately shaped, and filled with the best frosting ever created. But one bite and oh no! you realize it's the opposite of a sweet valentine. It's a chalky valentine that tastes like all-purpose flour.

I reread the recipe, and am pretty sure I followed the recipe exactly. However, obviously, somewhere along the way I did something very wrong. Perhaps I added too much flour, or maybe I miscounted the brown sugar amount. I have no clue, and I will likely never know. All I know is I have some lovely flour cookies, and lots of cream cheese frosting (which I will certainly eat with a spoon for dessert). Ah well. There's always next year..Red Velvet Whoopie Pies Round Two!

Will You Be My Valentine?

I have never been that into Valentine's Day. Well, that's not true. I am very into the day-after-Valentine's-day chocolate sales. And I have, in years past, been very into making myself sick from excessive boxed chocolates. All of them. I even eat the gross fruity-moussy ones eventually, when all the other good chocolates are long gone. But other than overdosing on Whitman's and See's, I am usually pretty ambivalent about February 14th.

Except..for some reason, this year I am all about Valentine's Day. I think it's because, for the first time I can recall, I actually have a valentine! And not like when I was in third grade when I got heart-covered cards from the boys in my class. Because in third grade everyone gave everyone valentines, and Valentine's Day was nothing more than an excuse for another class party. Nope, this year I have a real valentine! And it's got me all mushy and sappy and gag-worthy. The only sad part? We can't actually celebrate Valentine's Day this year. I have work all day tomorrow, and a trainer ride to plow through once I get home from work, and then by the time I'm done having a quick shower and some dinner, it'll be bed time. Because we are 80-year-olds at heart, and since when is 8:30pm not a legitimate bedtime for 20-somethings anyways?

So instead of celebrating this loving day with my lover, I have decided to share my enthusiasm with my new co-workers by bringing them valentine cookies. Yes, this could potentially be seen as bribery. But honestly it's not. It's an excuse to try out some recipes, rid the final results from my self-controlless hands, and spread some Valentine's cheer, all at the same time! It's win-win-win!

So in honor of Valentine's Day, and in honor of finally, actually having coworkers (and even better, coworkers I can pass off baked goods to!), I am baking Red Velvet Whoopie Pies courtesy of Annie's Eats, and another batch of my favorite snickerdoodles, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen. The snickerdoodles will be rolled in red sugar, of course!

(Confession: I wasn't planning on making snickerdoodles for the office, but the red velvet recipe only yielded 10 sandwich cookies, plus one lone cookie. I know I made them too big, and if I hadn't run out of red food dye making the first batch, I would've made many more of these cookies. They turned out great! But since I can't think of anyone who doesn't like red, glittery snickerdoodles, they will be plumping up the cookie platter tomorrow.)

Happy Valentine's Day!