Author Notes
Lately I’ve been slightly consumed with the cooking contests at Food52.com-a website created by 2 journalists at the New York Times- Every week there is a new food challenge based on an ingredient or theme, whoever’s recipe wins goes into the final cookbook.
I send in some recipes for previous challenges (like the duck with fig & port sauce or the apple and amaretti cake) but to no avail…Food52.com is not looking for healthy easy dishes they are looking for decadent & complex ones. So 2 days before the deadline of the chocolate cookie contest I took the big guns out and called the most decadent foodie I know: my dad- and he sent me this incredible recipe. I must warn you though these are not healthy (actually I am writing this on a sugar rush from them) but they are delicious. They are based on Maida Heatter’s famous chocolate cookies. Enjoy the food coma. —Culinista Annouchka
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Ingredients
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1/2 cup
of thompson raisins
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1/3 cup
of Rum
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3 cups
of sifted confectioners sugar (sift before measuring)
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2/3 cup
of sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (also sifted pre measuring)
-
1 teaspoon
of instant espresso powder
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2 tablespoons
of all purpose-flour (but for gluten free use buckwheat or rice flour)
-
2
dashes of salt
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3
large egg whites
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1/2 teaspoon
of vanilla
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2 1/4 cups
of mixed pecans & almonds, toasted, cooled & coarsely chopped
Directions
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Combine the raisins & rum in a cup and let stand overnight to macerate (or a minimum of 8 hours)
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Preheat oven to 350F. Spray & flour (rice flour or buckwheat for gluten free) 2 large baking sheets, shaking off excess flour.
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Mix the sifted sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, flour & salt with an electric mixer on low. Add the egg whites & vanilla and continue mixing on medium until the mixture is combined.
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Drain the raisins (without pressing) and add them to the dough with the pecans & almonds. Stir until the mixture is thick and sticky, about 3 minutes.
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Drop large tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing each cookie a few inches apart. Bake the cookies in the middle rack of the oven, rotating halfway through baking (you may have to bake them 1 sheet at a time if your oven is small).
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The cookies are done when small cracks appears or when they are just set on the edges and slightly moist in the middle (12 to 14 minutes total).
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Cool cookies on rack for a few minutes then transfer to a plate to cool completely.
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* Place nuts flat on a baking sheet and place in the oven (heated at 350F) for 7 to 10 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool before chopping them.
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