There are only three cookies pictured above. The reason for this is not that the recipe only makes 3 cookies (it makes about 20), but that by the time I got around to photographing them, there were only 3 left. That’s the kind of cookies they are: they just disappear.
During the praline making workshop in March, I learned that to experience the health benefits of chocolate, you need to consume about 200 grams of it daily. Clearly, I am not eating enough chocolate. These cookies are a good start though, as they are very, very chocolatey: there’s melted chocolate in the batter, there are chocolate chunks studded through and the cookies are rolled in cocoa nibs for good measure. They are intense. Also: the dough is made with whole spelt flour, which certainly tastes more interesting than plain old all-purpose. The original recipe called simply for “sugar” but I had some coconut sugar I wanted to try (it was on sale in the health food store) so I used that. I am not going to enter the debate on whether or not coconut sugar is better for you than regular sugar but I can tell you this: it tastes great in these cookies, like caramel. I am generally not someone who goes for raw cookie dough but this dough I had to stop myself from eating. And I think that apart from the butter and the chocolate, it was because of the intriguing taste of coconut sugar.
If you can’t get the cocoa nibs, you can leave them out and still have really good cookies.
Triple chocolate spelt cookies
Adapted from Good to the Grain
makes about 20 cookies
120 g (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
120 g (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
175 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) cocoanut palm sugar or (cane) sugar
125 g (1 cup) whole spelt flour
½ tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
120g (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup cocoa nibs (optional)
Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Stir frequently and remove from heat as soon as it melts.
In a large bowl, combine eggs and sugar and whisk until well combined. Add the warm (but not hot) chocolate mixture and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (spelt flour, baking powder and salt), then add them to the chocolate-egg mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon, add the remaining chocolate and stir again until evenly combined.
Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, but better yet overnight or up to 3 days.
Line two baking sheets with parchment and preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 F).
Scoop pieces of dough of little less then two tablespoons and roll them into balls. Roll the balls in the cocoa nibs and place them on the baking sheet, about 6 cm (2,5 inch) apart. Bake the cookies for 17 to 20 minutes, until the edges are firm and the cacao nibs toasted a dark brown.
The cookies can be stored in an air-tight container for up to three days.
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