Written by CAPA-JRC reporters Eileen Luo and Claire Yu
Last month, it was Halloween recipes; this month, we’ll celebrate Thanksgiving! Based on a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, I made chocolate-coffee cookies for Thanksgiving. December and hot cocoa are still a month away, but it’s never too soon for chocolate!
Step 1: Ingredients
Before you begin baking, it is important to gather some ingredients together! You’ll need:
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (55g) Dutch-procesed cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (15ml) milk
1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon coffee extract, crushed
In the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, natural cocoa powder was paired with baking soda. But what if you, like us, only have the Dutch processed version? Then you’ll have to substitute baking powder for baking soda: 3 tsp baking powder for 1 tsp baking soda. Make sure the baking powder still works!
And, most importantly: be sure to have chocolate chips. Even flavors like peanut butter chips or butterscotch morsels could work.
Since it was Thanksgiving, most stores weren’t open, so we had to take a forty-minute walk. First to 7-11, where a thin Hershey’s bar cost an absurd two dollars; then to CVS, where two bags of Hershey’s Kisses went for six dollars. Cheers!
Creating the cookie dough
Start off by creaming the butter and sugars together, then add vanilla extract and egg to the mixture.
Separately, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt) together. Then combine wet and dry ingredients before beating in the milk and chocolate chips.
Chill this dough for at least three hours or overnight before shaping and baking.
Next, get a cookie scoop to help portion the sticky dough. To make each dough ball around 1.5 tablespoons, a medium sized scoop is best. Once you scoop the dough, shape it into tall, column-like balls. Taller balls will result in thicker cookies.
Since the cookie dough will likely stick to your hands while shaping, don’t forget to have a paper towel nearby! Wiping your hands between every few dough balls is ideal for easier rolling.
Baking the cookies
After you have finished shaping the cookie dough into balls, place the dough balls onto a baking sheet and tray and bake them in the oven. Usually, the cookies take around 11-12 minutes to bake; they should start spreading by minute 9. If you see that the cookies aren’t spreading by then, you can take them out from the oven and lightly hit the baking sheet on a counter a few times, then put them back to bake for a few more minutes.
If you lightly tap the edge of a cookie and feel that it is set in, then your chocolate masterpieces are pretty much done! Be careful when doing this because the cookies will be hot. You could also freeze the portioned cookie dough balls. If they’re sticky, first chill them in a freezer for 30-60 minutes. Afterwards, place them in a zipped freezer bag to freeze for up to three months. Whenever you have chocolate cravings, take out a few frozen balls and immediately bake them (just add one minute to the baking time)!
If you try your hand at this recipe, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!
This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.
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