You may have heard about the justly hyped Nutella ho-hos and passionfruit flakies at Tiffany MacIsaac’s four-month-old Buttercream Bakeshop (1250 Ninth St., NW; 202-735-0102). The menu’s sleeper hit? These less flashy double-chocolate cookies. They’re made with dark chocolate and studded with plenty of milk-chocolate chunks, but their airy, chewy texture keeps them from becoming overrich. Meaning you’ll likely have a tough time stopping at just one.
(Makes 18 to 24 cookies)
- 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
- 12/3 c. sugar
- ½ tsp. instant espresso powder
- 3½-ounce bar high-quality dark chocolate, melted and cooled 10 minutes
- 2 large eggs
- 1 c. plus 3 tbsp. flour
- 7 tbsp. dark cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona)
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 3½-ounce bar high-quality milk chocolate, chopped into medium chunks
Combine the butter, sugar, and espresso powder in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low until fully combined and creamy. (Don’t incorporate air or whip on high speed.)
While mixing slowly, add the melted chocolate. Scrape the sides of the bowl so the mixture combines evenly. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine fully, then scraping the sides of the bowl before adding the next one. Turn off the mixer.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until smooth. (If the mixture is lumpy, sift it.) Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir to combine, then stir in the chocolate chunks. Divide the dough into 18 balls and chill 60 to 90 minutes, or up to three days.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place 9 to 12 chilled dough balls on each tray and bake for 12 to 16 minutes, rotating the trays 180 degrees after the first 8 minutes. Cookies will be chewy when you tap the tray and the center of the cookie starts to deflate. (Bake a few minutes longer if they don’t.) If you prefer crisp cookies, bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
