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Posted on Thu, Feb 3, 2011 : 8:30 a.m.

Even a Valentine curmudgeon will love these triple-chocolate cookies

By Jessica Webster

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These Triple-Chocolate cookies are sure to please your valentine.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

Valentine's Day isn't my holiday. It's not that I'm not romantic, and it's certainly not that I don't love chocolate and presents. Maybe it's just the anti-conformist in me that rebels against the notion that I should express my romantic feelings on this one particular day in February.

That being said, I'm not so rebellious that I won't bake something to be at least a tiny bit festive. And last week, as I took a bite of a decadent triple-chocolate cookie at Pastry Peddler, I decided upon this year's Valentine confection.

With an idea firmly in place but no recipe to execute, I took to the internet to fulfill my quest. When I think "decadent," my first stop is Paula Deen, but with 2 sticks of butter PLUS a half cup of shortening, Paula's Three Chocolate Cookie recipe on the Food Network site might be more aptly named "Triple Bypass Cookies," y'all.

After paging through dozens of recipes, I settled on this one, which promised to be "better than sex." It appears to be an adaptation of a Bon Appetit recipe from 2005. I adapted it to my tastes, replacing the half cup of white chocolate chips with more semisweet chips.

One of the things that appealed to me about the recipe is that I had most of the ingredients on hand after making the double-chocolate cake I wrote about a few weeks ago. As is the case with most of my favorite recipes, it's quick and easy to whip together, leaving me with plenty of time for that panicked last-minute run to CVS to buy a Valentine's Day card.

Triple chocolate cookies. Ingredients 10 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons all- purpose flour 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon instant coffee 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 3 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 1 cup semisweet and one half cup white chocolate chips)

Instructions 1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. 2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Or use non-stick cookie sheets. 3. Stir chopped chocolate in a double boiler set over simmering water and stir periodically until melted and smooth; remove and cool for 10 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, sift flour, cocoa powder, coffee, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. 5. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in another medium bowl until crumbly. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat for 5 minutes when the mixture will be creamy. 6. Mix in the lukewarm melted chocolate and vanilla. Do not over beat. 7. Fold in dry ingredients slowly, then chocolate chips. 8. Drop chocolate cookie batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. 9. Bake cookies, 1 baking sheet at a time, until tops are evenly cracked but cookies are still soft and a little gooey, 15 minutes or so. 10. Cool cookies completely on baking sheets.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team, and is very glad she made these cookies in time for the Snowpocalypse. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.