Chocolate Temptations Cookies

Wishing You All Very Very Happy New Year! Last decade had more for me, College, Marriage, Kid and learning at different stops of Life. One big thing i learnt in last decade is Cooking. When i got married in 2004, i knew to make Maggi Noodles, Bread Upma, Pizza's with store bought Pizza Base. In the last 6 years, Cooking turned to be a big Passion for me. as a result you are reading this Food Blog:)

Okay, what's my New Year Resolution? Its not just for this Year, as i think, it will be in long term, for the next decade atleast. One is to feed the Family Healthier way. Second, I should Think several times before taking important decisions. Third, to enjoy every bit of Life.  in simple, iam trying to correct the mistakes of last decade.

If you ask me what happened to my last Year's Resolution, Yes i was able to follow it for 6 months atleast.

Last Year's Resolutions were, not to expect other hands for help.( it purposely meant, that i should do all my house-held work without maid). I survived without domestic help for 6 months. later i was pushed to have a helper, as hubby went abroad, and i needed someone to looks after the kid, when i had to look after outside work.

Next was to reduce maida, oil in cooking.  and i have reduced the oil consumption from 1 and half litre a month to 1 litre. but could'nt reduce maida, as iam experimenting on baking mode, maida/APF becomes  must for the experiments.

Coming to the Chocolate Temptations Cookies, I tried it out, from my Cakes and Bakes Book. I just followed the recipe. It turned out fabulous and vanished in just two days. My Son and I loved it!

Ingredients: (yields 24 - 30 cookies)

Butter - 1/2 cup

Semi-sweet Chocolate / Dark Chocolate - 225 gms

Chocolate Chips - 50 gms

Strong Coffee Powder - 1 tsp

Eggs - 2

Demarara Sugar - 3/4 cup

All Purpose flour / Maida  - 1 and 1/3 cup

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Almond extract - 2 tsp

Hazelnut, Brazil nuts, walnuts- 2/3 cup (optional)

To Decorate the Cookies:

40 gms of dark chocolate

Icing Sugar - 2 tbsp

Butter - 1/2 tsp

Milk - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Pre-Heat the oven to 180C. Line a Tray with Butter Paper and Grease it with butter.

2. If you have Double Boiler, Melt the 225gms of chocolate, Butter  along with Coffee.

               (or)

Boil 2 cup's of water in a bowl and simmer it.  find another fitting bowl, that could sit over the boiling water bowl and place it over the boiling water bowl. add 225gms of dark chocolate, 1/2 cup butter and Coffee to the bowl and melt them together.

3. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl until fluffy. whisk in sugar gradually till the  mix, turns thicker. Remove the chocolate melted, and add to the egg-sugar whisked. Mix them all together, till they are mixed well and becomes Thicker.

4. Sift the Floour, Baking powder, salt  into a bowl. add the melted chocolate-egg mix to the flour and give a mix with spatula or wooden spoon. add chocolate chips, almond extract and nuts and give a mix to get the cookie dough.

5. Spoon in the cookie dough over the greased butter paper and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-17 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire-wrack once its baked.

To Decorate the Cookies:

With the help of double boiler or in double boiling method(refer step 2), melt the chocolate, butter and icing sugar together. once the chocolate gets melted and mix turns thick, add milk to make the mix thinner.

Pour the mix to a Piping bag and pipe lines over the cookies.

* I used Milk cover instead of Piping Bag.

* I did a foolishness of using Demarara Sugar instead of Icing sugar and it did'nt melt and struck in between while piping chocolate lines.