Triple Chocolate Cookies

Because we made our cookies smaller, we made little donuts instead of pretzels.

• Makes 16 – 3½ inch cookies

  

• Pan prep: ungreased
• Oven temp: 3500
• Chilling time: 1 hour
• Baking time: 12-14 minutes

Dough:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly firm
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Glaze:

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/3 cups strained confectioners’ sugar, spooned in and leveled
• 4 tablespoons boiling water, plus additional as needed
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Chocolate jimmies, for sprinkling

Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Keep warm.

Strain together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter on medium-low speed until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar in a steady stream and beat for 2 minutes longer. Add the egg, then the vanilla and beat for 1 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in the warm chocolate. Ten add the dry ingredients in two additions, mixing only until combined after each addition. Do not overmix. With floured hands, form the dough into a 4 inch square, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.

Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough into 16 pieces (they should weigh about 1 ounce each). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, with lightly floured hands, shape into a ball. On a very lightly floured surface, gently roll the ball back and forth to form a rope measuring 10 inches long by 3/8 inch thick, taking care to keep the rope even. Place the rope onto the cookie sheet forming a horseshoe, with the rounded side closest to you. Take the right tip of rope and bring it 4 inches below the opposite tip. The dough will look like a number 6. Take the left portion of the cough, cross it over the first side, and bring it down to form the pretzel shape. Using your index finger, gently ease the bottom of the pretzel toward you to round the pretzel slightly. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the pretzels 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.

Bake the pretzels for 12 to 14 minutes or until firm on top. Toward the end of baking time rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula. While the pretzels are cooling make the glaze.

Melt the chocolates and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the confectioners’ sugar alternately with the water. Beat well with a wooden spoon until very smooth. Blend in the corn syrup and vanilla and beat gain. If needed, slowly add more water until the glaze pours from a spoon in a steady stream without breaking. (Use water sparingly; a little bit goes a long way.)

Place the pretzels on a rack set over a jelly roll pan. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin layer of glaze to the bottom of each pretzel. Place the pretzel, glazed side down, on the rack. Then brush a thicker layer of glaze onto the top and sides of the pretzel. , taking care not to leave any bare spots. As each pretzel is glazed, sprinkle the tops heavily with chocolate jimmies before the glaze sets. (Note: If the glaze becomes too thick to spread evenly, thin with a few drops of hot water as needed.) Before storing the pretzels, allow them to stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours to set.

Storage: Sore in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 2 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.

Cookie Characteristics: versatile, long shelf life, temperature sensitive.