Finally

Six weeks is a long time without an oven.  Granted, I had the cook top.  But it isn't the same.  I feel like the whole world has opened up for me now that my oven is fixed.  I can make anything!  I am going to make pizza from scratch for dinner tonight but first I needed to make some cookies.  Yes, needed.  

I spent seemingly half the afternoon browsing through cookie recipes in my cook books.  I wanted to make something I had never made before.  I ended up choosing a chocolate salted cookie from one of my favorite little cookbooks Salt: Cooking with the World's Favorite Seasoning by Varlie Aikman- Smith.  This is the cookbook where I got the recipe for black sea salted bread sticks that is a staple at many of our dinner parties.  I love this little cookbook.  You can tell the author really tested out the recipes.  The things I make out of it look just like the photos.  Also, when she says it makes 24 cookies, she means it actually makes 24 cookies.   She said bake the cookies 10 minutes.  At 10 minutes, they were perfect.  The only thing I changed was that the recipe called for one teaspoon of rum which I don't have so I substituted 2 teaspoons instant coffee instead. 

Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies 

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup superfine sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon rum (or substitute 2 teaspoons instant coffee)
fleur de sel, to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 350F.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.

Melt 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate in double boiler.

Cream butter and sugars in upright mixer with flat paddle until light and fluffy.  Scrape bowl if necessary.  Add the egg, vanilla extract, rum (or coffee), and melted chocolate.  Beat until well combined, 1-2 minutes.  Reduce speed to slow and add flour mixture.  Mix until combined.  Stir in the rest of the chopped chocolate.

Mixture will be very soft.  You can put in fridge for a bit to harden slightly but I am not that patient.  I just scooped the dough by the tablespoon directly onto cookie sheets sprayed with cookie spray.  Slightly flatten the tops of the cookies with the back of a spoon and sprinkle generously with sea salt.

Bake 10 minutes and cool on pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

These are very rich, delicious cookies!  Now I am off to get the pizza started and then we are going to play our new card game, Killer Bunnies!