Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (33 page)

48
C
OOKIES

Checkerboard cookies must be neat and precise, therefore they are often thought of as a fancy petit four to be ordered from a fancy patisserie, or possibly as a fancy nibble served with the compliments of the chef in a fancy restaurant—not something that the average home cook would play around with. But believe me, you can make them—they are not difficult. Neat and precise, yes—but not difficult. Gorgeous is what they are.

½ pound (2 sticks) sweet butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

2¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)

1 egg, lightly beaten and strained

In the large bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the vanilla and almond extract and then the sugar and salt and beat to mix well. On low speed gradually add the flour and beat, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, for a few minutes. The mixture will be crumbly.

Turn it out onto a large board or smooth work surface, squeeze it between your hands and knead it until it holds together and is smooth. Extra kneading is good—work it well.

Now the dough has to be divided into two exactly equal halves. You have a scant 2½ cups of dough; carefully measure 1¼ cups minus one tablespoon of the dough, pressing it down in the cup (use the metal measuring cups that are made for measuring dry ingredients) and set it aside.

Add the cocoa to the remaining dough. Knead to incorporate the cocoa thoroughly. The mixture must be smooth. With the heel of your hand push off small amounts of the dough, pushing on the board and away from you; re-form the dough and push it off again. Repeat until the mixture is evenly colored. Now, with your hands shape each piece of dough into a flat square.

Then place one square on a lightly floured pastry cloth and, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll it into a square shape ½ inch thick and 6 inches square (no smaller); keep the edges straight and the corners as square as you can. The edges may be pressed into a straight line by pushing a ruler or a long, heavy knife against them, or they may be trimmed with a long, heavy knife. Use your fingers to square-off the corners.

Carefully, with your hands or with two wide metal spatulas, temporarily transfer the square and roll out the remaining square.

Hold a ruler facing you against the farthest edge of one of the squares and, with the tip of a small, sharp knife, mark the dough into ½-inch lengths. (The strips must be cut straight; for extra insurance mark the opposite side of the square also.) With a long, heavy, sharp knife cut the square into ½-inch strips. You will need twelve perfect strips.

Repeat with the remaining square of dough.

(There might be some leftover scraps of dough; if so, set them aside until later.)

Tear off a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper (I think plastic wrap is better for this) about 10 inches long and place it near the strips of dough. To form the cookies: Place one strip of dark dough the long way on the paper or plastic. With a soft pastry brush, lightly brush one long edge of the strip with the beaten egg. Place a strip of light dough touching the egg-brushed edge. Brush the free long edge of the light dough with egg. Another dark strip, beaten egg, and then another light one. (You now have four
strips of alternate colors touching each other, held together with a bit of beaten egg where they meet.)

Brush the top of the four strips lightly with the beaten egg. Place four more strips on top, placing dark over light and vice versa, and brushing a bit of egg between each strip as on the bottom layer. Be careful as you handle the strips and as you place them—they will not be easy to move because of the egg wash.

Brush the second layer with egg and then form a third layer, again dark over light, etc.

Now you have a three-layered bar, each layer made up of four narrow strips.

Wrap in the paper and refrigerate.

On a second piece of paper form another three-layered bar. (Most of the egg will be left over—you will not need it for the cookies.)

Wrap the second bar in the paper and refrigerate. The bars must be refrigerated for at least half an hour, or until they are firm enough to slice, but they may be refrigerated for several days or they may be frozen—if they are frozen they must be thawed before they are sliced.

When you are ready to bake: Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

Unwrap one bar of dough. Cut a thin slice off one narrow end to make it perfectly straight.

With the ruler and the tip of a small, sharp knife, mark the bar into ¼-inch lengths. With a sharp knife cut the cookies. If the squares separate a bit as the cookies are cut, put them back in place where they belong—they will go together in baking. Place the cookies ½ inch to 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets.

(Leftover scraps of dough may be shaped now or later. Press them together lightly to form a marbleized dough. Roll it out ¼ inch thick on the pastry cloth and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter or cut into squares with a knife. Or roll pieces between your hands into little sausage shapes with tapered ends; place on cookie sheet and form into crescents.)

Bake 18 to 20 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back during baking to insure even browning. Bake until lightly colored.

With a wide metal spatula transfer to racks to cool.

Repeat with second bar, or reserve it to bake at some other time.

Macaroons

CHOCOLATE MACAROONS FROM MONTE CARLO

CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS

BLACK AND WHITE COCONUT MACAROONS

(See Chocolate Chip-Coconut Macaroons)

Chocolate Macaroons from Monte Carlo

24
M
ACAROONS

If these aren’t the same as the ones I had on the Riviera, I can’t tell the difference. Chocolate macaroons are one of my favorites. When I ate these I said they were the best ever. I could not get the recipe. This is the result of much experimenting. They are bittersweet and semi-soft/chewy. Almost like candy.

2½ ounces (2½ squares) unsweetened chocolate

5 ounces (1 cup) almonds, blanched or unblanched

1 cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup egg whites (from 2 to 3 eggs; measure carefully)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

About 1 teaspoon additional granulated sugar (for topping)

Optional: 6 candied cherries, cut into quarters

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 325 degrees. These are traditionally baked on heavy brown paper. Cut two pieces (you can use grocery bags) to fit two 12 × 15 -inch cookie sheets, (The paper should be smooth; it can be ironed if necessary.)

Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover and let stand only until melted. Remove from the hot water, and set aside, uncovered, to cool.

The almonds must be ground to a fine powder. This can be done in a food processor, a blender, or a nut grinder. Place the ground almonds in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.

Add the vanilla and almond extracts to the egg whites and stir into the almond mixture. Then add the melted chocolate. Stir thoroughly (The mixture should not be hard—or soft. It should be firm enough to hold a shape: semi-firm. It is a matter of proportion, and that is why it is important that the egg whites—and the other ingredients, too—be measured very carefully.) Now, if the mixture is runny or too sticky to handle, chill it briefly (that will harden the chocolate and make it easier to handle).

Place a large piece of wax paper in front of you, preferably near the sink because you will have to keep your hands wet while shaping the cookies.

Form 24 mounds of dough on the wax paper, using a rounded teaspoonful for each.

The macaroons should now be shaped into balls by rolling them between your hands, which must be wet. Wet your hands; shake off water but do not dry, pick up a mound of the macaroon dough (use a metal spatula to pick it up if that is easier), and roll it into a ball. Place the macaroons 2 inches apart on the brown paper, but if you have used a grocery bag do not place the macaroons on the seam where the paper is double—macaroons on that double section will stick to the paper. Keep your hands really wet.

Sprinkle the tops very lightly with a bit of the additional granulated sugar.

OPTIONAL
:
Top each one with a quarter of a candied cherry, curved side up.

Bake for about 20 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once to insure even baking. When done, the macaroons should be dry (but slightly soft) on the outside, moist and soft in the centers. They will harden somewhat as they cool—don’t overbake them.

Slide the papers off the cookie sheets. Let stand for about half a minute. Now the macaroons will be
stuck to the paper. To remove them in the best classic manner, lift each piece of paper by holding two sides of it, and gently turn it upside down onto a work table or counter top. (Don’t be afraid—it’s O.K. Pastry chefs do it all the time.) Brush the paper with water, using a pastry brush or a wet cloth. Let it stand briefly. As you see the paper dry out over the cookies, wet it a second time. Let stand for a few minutes until the paper can be lifted off easily without tearing the bottoms of the macaroons. If necessary, wet the paper a third time. Place the cookies right side up on racks to cool.

Store airtight with wax paper between the layers. Macaroons will stay fresh and soft for weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator; they will be all right for several days at room temperature; or they can be frozen.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

30
M
ACAROONS

These are soft and chewy drop cookies, quick and easy to make, and they keep well.

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate

2 egg whites (from eggs graded large or extra-large), at room temperature

Pinch of salt

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 ounces (2⅔ cups, loosely packed) shredded coconut

Adjust two racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two 12 × 15 -inch cookie sheets with aluminum foil.

Break up the sweet chocolate. Place both chocolates in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted. Then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool to room temperature.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the salt until they hold a firm peak when the beaters are raised. On moderately low speed add the sugar 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, pausing about 10 seconds between additions. Add the vanilla. Then increase the speed to high and beat for about 5 minutes more until the meringue is very stiff.

Reduce the speed to low and add the cooled chocolate, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until mixed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and, with a rubber or wooden spatula, fold in the coconut.

Use a moderately rounded teaspoonful of the mixture for each cookie. Place the mounds 1 inch apart on the aluminum foil, forming 15 cookies on each piece of foil.

Bake for about 16 minutes, reversing the sheets top to bottom and front to back once to insure even baking. When the macaroons are done they should feel dry on the outside but must remain soft in the centers.

With a wide metal spatula transfer the macaroons to racks to cool. Even if the racks have little feet to raise them, they should be raised still more; place them on any right-side-up pan or bowl. (These need plenty of room for air to circulate underneath, or steam forms on the bottom and keeps the bottoms of the cookies from being as dry as they should be.)

These may be stored airtight or only loosely covered. If they feel too soft/moist when they have cooled, let them dry out by storing them so the air can get to them.

VARIATIONS
:
Chocolate-Nut Coconut Macaroons: Use about ½ to ¾ cup pecans, cut into medium-size pieces, and fold them in along with the coconut.

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Chips: Use about ¾ cup semisweet chocolate morsels and fold them in along with the coconut.

Bittersweet Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

24
M
ACAROONS

Soft and chewy drop cookies topped with toasted almonds—these are easily mixed in a saucepan.

24 whole blanched almonds