And now, for something completely different...

I don't know what I'm doing...

This whole baking thing is incredibly new to me.  I was never much of a cook, let alone a baker.

What I DO know, though, is that since I've started TRYING, I'm really enjoying myself.


It all started when I got a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer for a wedding gift.  It's gorgeous.  I can't say enough about it.  I was particularly excited about the dough hook.  I love fresh bread.  I've found lots of ways to wrap dinner up in fresh bread dough, for something a little unique.  Maybe a post on that later.

Anyways, I wanted to see what my mixer can do, so I've been trying out lots of new stuff.  Eventually, my husband started asking me to make stuff to take to his monthly 'carry-in' lunch, rather than just buying something at the store. 

That brings me to today's post.  I made these cookies, and he came home saying that several people had asked for the recipe.  I was so excited.  What a compliment!

I'll be honest, I didn't make up the recipe myself.  I'm new to this, remember?  And I'm not too proud to give credit where credit's due.  I got the recipe here.  I don't feel bad for passing it along, though, because if you read through her post, she grabbed it from somewhere else too :D  Isn't that what's so great about the internet?  I'd never know how to do *any* of this without the internet... but now, I've got a million and one resources right at my fingertips.

When I sent these in to work with my husband, I called them Double Chocolate Fudge Cookies:

Seriously, how yummy do they look?  And they're pretty easy.  I mean, if *I* can do it, so can you.

Here's what you need: 

Nonstick vegetable spray or parchment paper
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350. 

The first step is to melt 1 cup of your chocolate chips.  The girl I took the recipe from melted them in the microwave, but I've got some horror stories for you about melting chocolate in the microwave, so I always use a double boiler.  I don't have a fancy one, I just use 2 pots on the stove.

If you decide to melt your chocolate in the microwave, use a glass bowl, and it should take about 2 minutes.  Don't forget, though, to stop and stir 2 or 3 times.  That's where my horror stories come in.  YIKES.

Ok, back to it:  Double Boiler.

See how beautiful that is?  And no worries about burning/clumping.  That's what I've had happen in the microwave.

Anyways, at this point, you're going to remove your chocolate from whatever heat source you've used and let it begin to cool a bit.

With an electric mixer (Did I mention I love my Kitchenaid?), beat the egg whites to soft peaks.  

  Sorry the picture's not so great.  I don't have great light in my kitchen, and am trying to figure out the best way to take pictures that show the best.  You know what soft peaks look like, though, right?

At this point, beat in 1 cup powdered sugar, until your mixture looks a bit like marshmallow cream.  

In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar, your cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt until just blended.

On low speed, mix your dry ingredients into your egg meringue mixture.  

 

Stir in the melted chocolate, which should be about lukewarm by now.  Once that's blended, add in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  At this point, your dough will be very stiff.

Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl.

Take about 1 tablespoon of the dough, roll into a ball, and then roll in the powdered sugar until it's thickly coated.

Place on cookie sheet.  Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake in oven for roughly 10 minutes, until cookies are puffed out and tops have cracked. 

This pic is worth posting again.  So yummy.

Cool cookie sheets on racks for 10 minutes, then move the cookies to the racks.

Makes about 18 cookies, depending on how big you've ended up making them.  The first time I made them, the sizes varied a bit, and I ended up with 15 or so.  The second time I made them, I was really specific about how much dough I used each time, and came up with exactly 18, which is what the original recipe said it should be. 

These turn out fudgy inside, and the meringue gives them a crunchy outside that's reminiscent of the crispy outer part of a brownie, which is my absolute favorite part. 

I'm working on ways to make this recipe my own.  I'm thinking variations on a theme... what could I do differently?  I figure you could do anything to them that you'd do to a brownie... add nuts (my guys wouldn't eat them, but some people might like them that way.)... Or caramel sauce... Or my favorite idea right now would be to add a drop or 2 of peppermint oil and roll them in crushed candy canes.  Seasonal cookies!

What would you do?