Buckwheat Double Chocolate Cookies from Alternative Baker
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And just like that, it feels like fall in NYC. It's a mostly quiet Sunday around here - we are heading into a busy couple of weeks so I am trying to take things nice and slow (ish) because the truth is, my to-do list has felt overwhelming and very anxiety producing lately. But there is fun stuff going on too - puppy has discovered the joy of sniffing/rolling in/eating the very beginnings of our crunchy fall leaves, and its so cute I can barely bring myself to stop him. I also made some time to bake cookies yesterday, mostly so I could eat one at 5:45 am when I had to take puppy outside for the first of many times today...
I am so thrilled to be sharing this recipe with you for the fudgiest little chocolate cookies today from Alanna Taylor-Tobin's new book, Alternative Baker: Reinventing Dessert with Gluten-Free Grains and Flours. They made my early morning wake up today almost worth it, almost. I have been following Alanna's gorgeous work for a long time and I like to think of the two of us as kindred dessert spirits - the recipes and lovely photos in this book totally confirmed it! As I dive into the fun of gluten-free baking, I am so happy to have this resource on my shelf because it is full of just the kind of recipes I love to make (including lots of fruit desserts!!).
I started with one of the simpler recipes in the book, mostly because I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. Turns out that everyone else on the internet made these cookies too, and they all look beautiful which is the hallmark of a great recipe :) I, but I can't wait to try Alanna's layer cakes, crisps, cobblers, brownies, and more!
Buckwheat Bergamot Double Chocolate Cookies
from Alternative Baker by Alanna Taylor-Tobin
makes about 30 2-inch cookies
These cookies are deeply chocolatey and extra fudgy, almost like little brownie bites. Bergamot is a citrus fruit that gives earl grey tea its flavor, which can be tough to find out of season so substitute a bit of orange zest if you like. The cookies are also awesome without the citrus so choose your own adventure!
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60–70% cacao mass), chopped (about 2¼ cups), plus several chunks for the tops of the cookies
1 1/2 teaspoons packed finely grated zest from 1 medium bergamot (or orange)
1/2 cup (65g) buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130g) cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Flaky salt such as Maldon, for the tops
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Line 2 rimless cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Place the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over the lowest possible heat. Add 8 ounces (230g) of the chocolate, and the bergamot zest (if using) and melt together, stirring frequently to prevent the chocolate from scorching. Continue cooking until the mixture is pleasantly warm, but not super hot, to the touch. Remove from the heat and keep warm. Sift the buckwheat flour, tapioca flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the eggs, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and stir in the vanilla until just combined, then the warm chocolate butter mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a flexible silicone spatula to fold in the remaining 4 ounces (115g) chopped chocolate.
If the batter is very runny, let it cool for a few minutes until it firms to the consistency of a thick brownie batter. Use a #40 spring-loaded ice cream scoop or 2 spoons to drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Top each cookie with a few chunks of chocolate and a few flecks of flaky salt.
Bake the cookies until puffed and cracked and the edges are set, 8–12 minutes, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Let cool on the pans. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. The cookies are best the day of baking but will keep, airtight at room temperature, for up to 3 days.
