Espresso and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let’s face it, in the world of baking there is little better than a still warm from the oven chocolate chip cookie. Cookies hit all the right notes of nostalgia; texture, flavour and ease of preparation. Even though a classic chocolate cookie is basically my idea of perfection that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t play around with them a little (or in my case a lot). Ever since I tried the chocolate and rye cookies served at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco I have used this grain to give my cookies and cakes a boost and the flavour brought by the flour really marries beautifully with chocolate. For a third dimension of flavour I have added a healthy dose of coffee which makes these extra special.

When it comes to the choice of chocolate I generally stick to something around 70%, not because this is an indicator of quality (it only shows what the chocolate is made with not what the quality of those ingredients are) for these cookies I like to use something around 60%. Because the cookies use a secondary bitter ingredient in the form of the coffee using a slightly sweeter chocolate makes these a little more rounded in flavour and a little less bitter. Of course this is personal preference, feel free to use whatever chocolate you like, a milk chocolate could be amazing in this, I could even imagine a toasted white chocolate being the perfect thing for these cookies.

Espresso and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 18-20

225g unsalted butter, diced

3 tbsp freshly ground coffee

200g plain flour

200g dark rye flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

200g light brown sugar

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla extract

340g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (see note)

flaked sea salt, for sprinkling

To make the cookies place the butter into a small saucepan and cook over medium/high heat until fully melted and just starting to bubble. Remove from the heat and add the coffee, stirring into the butter, setting aside to cool slightly. 



Meanwhile mix together the flours, salt, baking powder and soda and set aside. Pour the butter into a large bowl and mix in the sugars followed by the eggs, yolks and vanilla and whisk together until fully combined and uniform. Add the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix together until uniformly mixed. Add the chocolate and mix briefly to distribute evenly. Press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the cookie dough and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

When ready to bake preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and line a few baking trays with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 60g portions and roll into balls, you could also just for these with my favourite tool, the old fashioned mechanical ice cream scoops. Place cookies onto the prepared baking trays a few inches apart and sprinkle with a little flaked sea salt. Bake in the preheated oven for about 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are golden around the outside but still a little paler in the middle. Remove the trays from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Kept in a sealed container these will keep for 3-4 days.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches

I know I am a week late posting this recipe and I apologise for that, maybe the idea that I was going to edit the video for these cookies on my flight to Hong Kong was a tad ambitious. Either way I hope the wait was worth it, I certainly think so, plus at least the weather has changed to a more appropriate summer vibe. The ice cream last week was delicious, whether served on its own, as a sundae or just eaten straight from the freezer with a spoon, but then what monster would eat it like that! But, I think we could take it one step further and use it make peanut butter ice cream sandwiches. What better cookie for this than a peanut butter shortbread, dipped in chocolate? I know shortbread isn’t the go-to cookie for this sort of recipe but here me out as I think it’s the kind off perfect vehicle for ice cream. The texture of the shortbread means this is an easy cookie to eat, even frozen they have very little resistance and chew whereas a chocolate chip style cookie can become very firm and chewy in the freezer making it a little harder to eat. Also because this ice cream has such a delicious flavour already I wouldn’t want to overpower it with something more elaborate and the shortbread cookie just helps to intensify the peanut butter flavour. I don’t really know why I am trying too justify this recipe, knowing full well the picture was probably the only thing needed to convince you guys to make it immediately.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwiches
Makes 12

Peanut Butter Shortbread Style Cookies
125g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g light brown sugar
300g smooth peanut butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1 x batch peanut and caramel ice cream

Homemade Magic Shell
100g dark chocolate
1 tbsp coconut oil

To make the cookies, place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and, with the paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg and vanilla and beat for a couple minutes more until fully incorporated. Finally, add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix together just until the flour disappears into the butter mixture. Don’t over mix the dough at this point as it will make the finished cookies tough and chewy.

Scoop the finished dough into a bowl and refrigerate for an hour before using. To form the cookies line a couple baking trays with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Roll the dough into roughly tablespoon sized balls and use a glass dipped in flour to press them into discs just a tad over 7cm wide. The edges will be a little rough so use a 7cm round cookie cutter to trim the edges so you have nice smooth round discs of cookie dough. The cookies don’t really spread but make sure they’re have a little space just in case.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the edges are starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking trays for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble the ice cream sandwiches place a scoop of the peanut ice cream onto one of the cookies and gently press together with another cookie. Because these cookie are in the shortbread style its best to press from the centre of the cookie rather from the edges, which would likely end up in more broken cookies. The recipe makes a few more cookies than needed so don’t worry too much if you break one or two. The ice. cream recipes makes an ice cream with a perfect texture, nice and scoopable straight from the freezer. If you make this with a shop bought ice cream you may want to let it soften slightly before assembling the cookies. Place the sandwiches back in the freezer to firm up the ice cream whilst you make the homemade magic shell.

To make the magic shell, melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Once melted stir through the coconut oil, making sure it is evenly distributed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. You want the chocolate shell runny but cool. Too hot and the ice cream will melt when dipped into the shell.

When ready, dip one sandwich cookie at a time halfway into the chocolate mixture. Allow the excess chocolate to dip back into the bowl then transfer to a piece of parchment. If you want sprinkle with a few chopped peanuts before the chocolate sets, and it should set fast, within a minute or so. Transfer the cookies to the freezer until you’re ready to serve. As this uses homemade ice cream these will be best within a week or two.

Best Ever Rye Chocolate Brownies

Post Sponsored By Doves Farm

Last week’s recipe, the tahini and chocolate cookies, may well have been your first introduction to the perfect pairing of chocolate with rye flour (or maybe it was my crinkle cookies) but today, with the help of Doves Farm (LINK), we’re taking this magical combination to its logical conclusion, brownies! Rye flour is another example of an ancient grain, and another of my favourites. Rye might be more well known as the flour used to make dark, flavoursome loaves of bread most often associated with Scandinavian baking but using it in sweet recipes adds a wonderful depth of flavour not found with regular wheat flour - malty and nutty. Rye happens to be lower in gluten (though not gluten free) which helps makes these brownies extra tender and because of the added flavour coming from the rye, these have a deeper more interesting flavour. But even if you like good old fashioned brownies don’t worry you’ll still love these, they’re just..well..better. 

When it comes to choosing your flour you have two types of rye, white and wholewheat, just as with regular wheat flour. And just as with wheat flour the choice of which you use will affect the flavour. Personally I almost always use the wholewheat variety as it has so much more flavour and in these brownies it is competing with a strong flavour in the form of chocolate, so the nuances would just be lost with white rye.  

Rye Chocolate Brownies

175g Doves Farm organic wholemeal rye flour
50g cocoa powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
200g unsalted butter, diced
300g dark chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids)
150g caster sugar
220g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Lightly grease, and line with parchment, a 9x13 inch brownie pan.

Into a large bowl sieve together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder. The main reason for this is to remove any lumps of cocoa but there will also be a little bran from the rye flour left at the end. This can either be added to the dry goods or omitted, depending on your preference (it’s still quite finely ground bran so it doesn’t add much texture so I tend to leave it in, plus the bran has lots of flavour).

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water, and heat, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Remove and set aside for a few minutes.

Meanwhile place the eggs, sugars and vanilla into a large bowl and using an electric mixer whisk together for 3-4 minutes or until the eggs have increased in volume and the mixture is pale and fluffy. This whisking action helps to give the finished brownie a shiny crackly crust and the ideal dense and fudgy texture. With the mixer still running pour in the cooled butter and chocolate mixture, whisking until fully combined. Switching to a spatula pour in the dry goods and mix together just until everything is combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared brownie pan and spread into an even layer. As I think all chocolate recipes benefit from salt you can also add a little extra sprinkling of salt at this stage, in the form of flaked sea salt. This really helps to bring out all the flavours in the rye and chocolate and makes these brownies shine. You can omit this is you prefer, just don’t omit the salt in the batter as the finished brownies will taste flat and dull. 

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The finished brownies will be puffed up a little but still gooey inside. As the brownies cool the mixture will sink back a little, creating the perfect dense fudgy texture we all love. Allow to cool at room temperature for an hour before transferring to the fridge for a couple hours to cool completely. Lift the brownies from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut into squares. The brownies are on the rich side, they are brownies after-all, so I tend to cut them into 16 small squares. 

Kept in a sealed container the brownies will keep for at least 4 days. 

Tahini and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies Inspired by Mokonuts in Paris

For many people, me included, Paris is the best city in the world when it comes to pastry, it’s an undeniable fact that some of the pastry chefs in the world are in Paris. But you know what you cant find in the city, a good cookie. Now I’m not talking sables, sure the French can pull of wonderful cookies like that, but when it comes to American style cookies, those in the realm of the chocolate chip cookie, well the less said the better. I remember when a ‘US style’ bakery opened in the Marais with the promise of a warm chocolate chip cookie enticing me to the bakery. Sadly I couldn’t be enticed past the door as the cookies in the window were a truly sad example of a cookie. Thankfully there is one bakery that is changing this in a very big way, so on those rare occasions nothing else than a warm gooey cookie will do I have a place to go. 

Mokonuts is a bakery and restaurant a little out of the tourist mainstay, but well worth a detour, in the 11th arrondisement. Its a small hole in the wall spot turning out some absolutely wonderful food but more importantly for todays purposes amazing cookies. These cookies are from a hidden gem these days, they’ve been featured everywhere from the New York Times to Saveur Magazine. The reason I am so late to the game is I simply refused to believe the hype, surely no bakery in Paris is worth visiting for cookies when there is so much amazing patisserie on offer? I bow my head in pastry shame because these cookies are truly phenomenal, using ingredients not commonly found in cookies. They’re using everything from buckwheat to tahini, miso to black olive, and every single cookie I have tried has been a delight with a wonderful chewy texture hiding a treasure trove of additions, the sort of cookies that demand you buy at least one extra as their is no way they’ll all make it home. With my current obsession with all things tahini it was the sesame seed studded cookie that caught my eye, that and the multigrain chocolate chip cookie I absolutely must order every single time I’m there. 

I wanted to make a cookie inspired by the flavours found in this fabulous spot and I think I’ve done them proud. The flavour of my tahini and rye chocolate chip cookie is my idea of heaven, a perfect pairing of slightly bitter dark chocolate, nutty rye flour and of course the tahini paste which gives an almost savoury nutty back note. I have made these multiple times now and never once have I been able to eat only one, these things are addictive. 

Tahini and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 15

125g wholemeal rye flour
100g wholemeal plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
75g tahini
200g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
Sesame seeds, to coat

To make the cookie dough place the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and mix together to combine, set aside.

Place the butter, tahini and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric mixer beat together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined, then add the chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. Scoop the dough into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for about 4 hours until firm. I often make these in the evening and bake off the dough the next day.

Scoop the cookie dough into pieces about 60g in size. Roll into balls and then coat in sesame seeds, you’re not looking to completely cover the cookie just a nice even coating over all the cookie. 

Place onto parchment lined baking trays, a couple inches apart, and then bake in an oven preheated to 190C (170C fan) for about 10-11 minutes. This temperate is a little higher than normal to help set the cookies earlier so they don’t spread as much. After they’ve been in the oven for about 7 minutes remove the trays from the oven and give them a firm tap on the surface before placing back in the oven for the remaining time until browned around the edges. Allow the cookie to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

These cookies will keep in a sealed container for about 3-4 days.