Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Fudge Drops

You know that glorious down time that comes when cooking?  The prep work is complete, the kitchen is organized, and you know exactly when you need to pop whatever it is you're making into the oven to be ready in time for dinner. The other evening I was blessed with this downtime.  My friend wasn't due to arrive for dinner for a while still, the protein I was preparing was basically ready, the veggies were prepped, the dishes done, and I was sitting on the couch reading a cookbook.  And then it hit me-Dessert!  Of course I should have made dessert for my friend- why would I try to serve dinner without a sweet closure?  So I recklessly started flipping through cook books, looking for a recipe that was easy to make, delicious, and could be made with what I already had in my limited pantry. 

I should have known that King Arthur Flour would have the answer to my quest.  I knew I had a ton of chocolate leftover from the New England Dessert Showcase, and then I stumbled on the recipe for Fudge Drops.  They were noted to be "Quick and Easy" (check), they contained only ingredients that I had on hand (check) and they sounded rich, fudgey and delicious (check!).  I was sold.

I quickly bounded off my couch and whipped these bad boys up, removing the final tray from the oven just as my doorbell was ringing.  These were incredibly easy to make, and had a really wonderful soft, fudgey quality to them.  I will definitely be keeping them in my repertoire of easy desserts to make in a pinch!

Fudge Drops (recipe Courtesy of King Arthur Flour)

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate*

3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter
1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips, optional


*You may use regular chocolate chips (1 1/3 cups = 8 ounces), but we prefer the flavor of bittersweet chips, or any of our bittersweet chocolates. If you're using bar chocolate (as opposed to chips), chop it into irregular 1/2 to 3/4-inch chunks.


In a double boiler, or in the microwave, gently melt together the chocolate and butter. To avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it, the best method is to heat till the butter is melted and the chocolate has partially melted, then remove from the heat. Stir till all the chocolate melts.


In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they're thoroughly combined. Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips, if you're using them. Refrigerate the batter-like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle.


Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, three if you have them.


Drop the cookie dough by tablespoonfuls (about the size of a small ping pong ball) onto the prepared baking sheets. A tablespoon cookie scoop makes this task extremely simple. Leave about 2" between the dough balls, as they'll spread as they bake.


Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. They won't crack until the very end, so keep a close eye on them; when they're cracked all the way across the top surface, they're just about done. The point is, you want these baked all the way through, but just barely; additional baking will make them crisp rather than chewy. Remove the cookies from the oven, and top each with a kiss-shaped chocolate, a nonpareil, or a bittersweet chocolate wafer, if desired. Wait 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool.


Yield: about 26 cookies without chips, 30 cookies with chips.


Bakers' tip: Want to make smaller cookies? Drop the dough in 1" balls onto the baking sheets (a teaspoon cookie scoop works well here), leaving 2" between them. Bake for 11 minutes. Yield: about 55 cookies.

7 comments:

Delicious Dishings said...

Can I have a dozen of these right now? Yum!

Elizabeth said...

Ooh. Want.

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

Love easy, simple desserts like these!!

EricaThomas said...

Oh, I actually have all those ingredients right now...... :)

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

These look sooo fudgey and I love that you just whipped them up out of nowhere!

Jen said...

Good call on making dessert for your friend. I love easy recipes that consist of ingredients you already have on hand!

buy wow account said...

WoW! that looks absolutely yummy.. wanna try it.

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