Choco-Choco Chip

Now if you read my last post, you'd see that I was currently enjoying reading a little book that goes by the title the "Chocolate Conoisseur".

God it's fabulous, but I feel it may be a double-edged sword; all I want to eat is chocolate chocolate and more chocolate. I want to breathe chocolate. I want to date a man made of chocolate. I want to go to the chocolate factory, push Willy Wonka down a well and make like Gustave and drink the chocolate fountain.

He's got the right idea...

]It also caused me to travel all around Brisbane today in search of various gourmet brands because if you're anything like me, you like to think you're an expert in little things like "gourmet chocolate" or anything that could fall into that particular category.


What I found was Brisbane's chocolate selection is pretty dismal; but I couldn't end my search without purchasing something to taste so I settled on some Lindt Noir 70% cocoa.

Lindt chocolate has that beautiful melt upon your tongue instant effect, and this bar was no exception. The 70% exhibits a well rounded, full bodied taste that starts as bitter, but as it dissolves upon your tastebuds a flux of flavours fill your senses. My new-found palette discerned forest berries soaked in liquor, subtle hints of coffee and an aftertaste of...I know it sounds strange...but burnt toast and wood ash.


It actually really makes a difference when you take the time to taste chocolate. It really helps you appreciate it, and you'll feel like an awesome food snob/Matt Preston wannabe, which in my opinion is pretty sweet.

Anyway, after I'd tasted the Lindt, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bake with it, so here's a lovely little recipe for double chocolate chip cookies. It's adapted from an old recipe I found at the back of my cupboard for plain ol' run of the mill chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy!

Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed brown sugar (dark or light, it's a matter of taste.)

1/2 granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Eight tablespoons of butter (1 stick)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1/2 cup Lindt 70% chocolate pieces (melted down)

3/4 cup stock standard milk chocolate chips (not melted down)

1 egg (bring to room temperature)

Pinch of salt (use sea salt...)

Method

Melt down the Lindt 70% using a saucepan. Put the chips in, and heat them up, waiting for them to melt while stirring all the while so they don't burn and stick to the sides of the pan.

Then...

Chuck every single ingredient in the bowl and set to work with your fingers or your spoon or whatever mixing appliance you have and bash the shit out of it. Bring it all together till there are no clumps of any ingredients then roll into a long tube, wrap in glad wrap and bung in the freezer until you're ready to use it.

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees celsius. Bring your cookie dough out of the freezer and either scoop it into little cookie sized mounds on a flat baking tray lined with baking paper, or, if your cookie dough is in a reasonable enough shape, slice straight from it and do the same thing.

Put in the oven for 12-14 minutes and WAHHH LAAAAAHHH!

ROFLMAYOCOPTER @ MY HEXAGON COOKIEZZZ YO