True to The Sugar Bar, Diva (pardon the 3rd person reference) has gone back to basics (and also returned from her EN VACANCES status) - cookies ! I’ve of course chosen the chocolate species of cookies that are sumptuous, classic, easy and a favourite staple in almost any home.
Mum was nagging at me to use the pot of Cacao al Pepe that I got from Chocolat, Milan and since I hadn’t made like real, man-sized cookies in a long while, I figured it was a pretty good opportunity to make them. Besides, the torrential rains (I exaggerate a little) were getting me down and there’s nothing like a good bake-day to put a smile on everyone’s face.
I’m faced with the problem of choosing a chocolate cookie recipe every time because there are really great ones all over the web, in my trustie cookbooks and so forth - but I’ve yet to find the perfect cookie recipe. Then it hit me that my Nigella Express was sitting in the kitchen cookbook cupboard and I hadn’t even touched it since I was given it as a present from my parents last Christmas. The recipe I found in it was perfect for what I had in mind, although in all honesty I was pretty torn between this, a recipe I found off the web and another NY Times recipe highly recommended by Hélène of La Cuisine d’Hélène. But I decided to go with Nigella because letting this cookbook sit for another month really isn’t the best thing to do. My relationship with Nigella needs to be strengthened as I’ve left her on the backburner for too long now.
I quite liked these cookies. Straight out of the oven, they smelt amazing and had a really good crunch but gentle chewiness in the middle. Although I didn’t quite like the look of them. Somehow, they didn’t turn out as hard as I usually like my cookies and because they spread a little too much, they lost the chunkiness I wanted and lacked the cracked look of regular chocolate chip cookies. Also, I forgot what country I’m living in now and left the cookies out to cool for a little too long so they got kinda spongy at the edges when I was packing them into an airtight container. But mistakes aside, a few minutes in a toaster and a glass of cold milk made things right again - no harm done.
This recipe has been adapted to cater to my specialty cacao. If you’d like to try something similar: you could use regular cocoa and a good pinch of white pepper for the same effect. The notes on the side are ingredients that I’ve used instead of the what the original recipe called for. The directions for this recipe will be directions for my ingredients. Drop me a comment if you need the original directions from Nigella Express.
Also, I’ll be posting up some pictures from my week in Taipei very soon. Stay tuned! The food may not be very posh or gorgeously presented but it sure teased my tastebuds so very much and I thoroughly enjoyed the vitality of the night markets. Till then.
Cacao al Pepe Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
(recipe adapted from Totally Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, p.190, from Nigella’s Nigella Express)
- 125g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids (4 tbs Cacao al Pepe)
150g plain flour
30g cocoa (Cacao al Pepe)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
125g (+ 4 tbs unsalted butter), softened
75g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, cold
350g Tollhouse chocolate chunks
Preheat oven to 170d Celsius.
Sift flour, cacao, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl.
Cream the butter and sugars in another bowl. Beat in the vanilla and cold egg, then mix in the dry ingredients in 2 parts.
Finally, fold in the chocolate chunks, leaving about a 1/4 cup for pressing onto the cookies.
Scoop out the cookies into golf-ball sizes and place on a greased/lined baking sheet about 6cm apart. Drop some chocolate chunks on them but DO NOT FLATTEN them as these cookies will spread.
Cook or 18-20minutes and test with a cake tester to make sure the insides are cooked through.
Leave to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to harden as they cool. Thereafter, eat slightly warm with a cold glass of milk (or soymilk for some!) and box up the rest to keep fresh throughout the week.
‘Tis only now that I noticed the nipple on the right. Hee hee. I quite like soft cookies– none of the hardness, please. So these will suit me just fine. I’m surprised that there was a recipe in Nigella Express that had more than 5 ingredients
Hey you! Was just wondering how the holiday was.
Those cookies look yummy scrummy, and may be just what the doctor ordered to beat my rainy day blues. Think I might hide them from the boys, actually
Milk makes all cookies taste better, doesn’t it?
Nigella + Chocolate usually = perfection in the end. Have you tried her Chocohotopots? Oh MY GODDESS!
These look scrumptious
I love the idea of adding a pinch of white pepper to them…And I will own up to being a huge fan of soymilk. I drink it out of the carton 
manggy: actually you’ll be surprised - nigella isn’t all too lazy most of the times
and very diligent with her recipes LOL. thanks for pointing tht out. i bet loads of ppl were just barely restraining themselves. at the risk of categorizing this site as an 18 and above only, it is still a work of one of my favourite photographers 
dee: awww! you’re feeling blue?? that’s bad! go grab some chocolate girl! and it’s strictly a no-sharing policy.
RecipeGirl: definitely so! nothing like cookies and milk.
Ann: woa. did a double take with tht title. i have yet to try it and so it means i need to go and make it pretty soon because the name alone is already so dreamy.
Laura@ Hungry and Frozen: ahha!! awesome! u’re now in my good books, not that you weren’t before, but you’re really high up there now! soymilk isn’t too bad now, isn’t it?
xx
I love chocolate-chocolate cookies. These look awesome! I’ve forgotten how good chocolate “chunks” can be.
I’m here & hungry Diva…adopt me; I’ll do the dishes! WOW Cookies…you are right about Nigella. It’s a relationship you have to nurture & one that easily falls apart if ignored for a while. These cookies are a dream!!
Wow, those look so fudgey and delicious! Love the tower!
Besides seeing delicious cookies and foods on your blog every time I visit I learn something new. For example, cacao al pepe is something unheard of for me:)Your cookies look so good! I should give them a try one day.
emiline: i used to be a strictly chocolate chips girl then i realized chunks are way more exciting!
deeba: thanks! indeed they were. the smell was fantastic. i would adopt ya but i doubt the government will approve my papers - not financially or intellectually independent or persuasive enough! lol.
shari: they were pretty damn fudgy you got that right!
farida: aww cheers. i know - it was pretty new to me too! i’ve heard of cacao and chili but pepper was something quite novel.
xx
They look pretty darn good to me!! And tasty looking too!
Chocolate in any form is a-ok with me. Wish I had some of these beauties right now!
**Drooling**
These look fabulous! Chocolatey and yummy
These are some wonderful looking cookies. You can never go wrong with 3 forms of chocolate in one item!
your photos have got be quite hungry
these are exactly what cookies should look like-good job!
Looks good, and I am a soft cookie person to the core. Three chocolates, these sound just incredible. Thanks for a great post.
Some of my favorite cookie recipes are ones I’ve had for years from women’s clubs or family recipes. I love the Italian chocolate cookie if it’s made right.
Love your blog, btw, am going to link it from mine.
Oooh, these would make a great late night snack. Or morning, mid-day and afternoon snack! Yum!
leslie: thanks!!
they were pretty well-received. 
toontz: hey it’s been a while. hope u’re well..:)if i could, i would definitely have posted you some.
laura: you bet they were uber chocolatey. almost too much, to be honest. definitely only allowed with a glass of cold milk.
nick: i have to agree with you. it’s like the ultimate combo.
megan: awww. thanks sweetie. you flatter me.
kim: most of the people i meet are soft cookie fans. i wonder why! somehow i just love a crunch and softies are just too, well soft!
jMo: thanks. i’ve visited your blog and hope to link it when i’m all ready to work on my laptop without getting distracted by something else lol! will do it soon. thanks for visiting..
Elle: hey! i found myself popping them for breakfast..how sinful is that?
xx