I subscribe to a lot of baking blogs. It's fun to see what other people are baking in their kitchen and what's inspiring them to do what they do. Some blogs are simple; no razzle dazzle (like mine), while others make me green with envy. This week I came across one recipe that seemed to be made just for me. What deliciousness is in this recipe? Oh, um, just some of my favorites. Chocolate, cinnamon, espresso, and Kahlua. How could I stay out of the kitchen any longer? You see, after baking myself into a frenzy Easter weekend, flour and I needed some time apart. But, after a couple weeks off, I got the itch and the inspiration to get a little messy in the kitchen again!
Recipe courtesy of Recipe Girl
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
½ Tbsp. espresso powder
1 Tbsp. Kahlua
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed firmly
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted & cooled a little bit
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
3. In a small dish, dissolve espresso powder in Kahlua; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to cream butter and sugars together. Add Kahlua mixture, eggs and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Add cooled, melted chocolate and continue to beat until it’s mixed in. Add flour mixture and beat at low speed until all flour is incorporated into the dough, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) 2-inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown and no longer look gooey in the middles. Cool completely on wire rack.
Now, if you're shaking you head at me because I've made yet another recipe that has espresso powder-I'm sorry! I can't help myself. But, I only have a smidge left at the bottom of my jar and I promise not to purchase any more for awhile. The most common brand of instant espresso powder is Medaglia D'Oro, if you happen to be looking. As for the chocolate, I used some of my Ghiradelli baking chips for the melting chocolate and good ol' Nestle for the mix-in. My cookies baked for 8 1/2 minutes. Half way through I opened the door and placed some chips on the top and rotated the baking sheet.
My Verdict: These smell DIVINE. I love, love the smell of cinnamon. All year round too, not just in the fall/winter season. And when you bite into them, they definitely taste of cinnamon. I really didn't get the flavor of espresso or any alcoholic bite of Kahlua. I think these ingredients really just help the chocolate to shine more. Apparently these cookies exceeded my husband's expectations. Wait. Do I normally bake crap cookies? Anyway, he ate a handful but then said his fifth cookie wasn't as good as the first. Gee, you think? I say "YUM!" and these (for me) will be in the running for the Christmas tins.