Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Cookies
The other day it occurred to me that many of the foods I love as an adult are unlike the foods that delighted me as a child. Spicy broccoli is a good example. This dish is made by lightly sauteing broccoli florets with diced garlic, sea salt and red pepper flakes, the result of which will satisfy most health-conscious, heat-loving foodies. I frequently fall back on this favorite when a quick side dish is in order, but as a child no amount of bribery could have convinced me to eat it. In the opposite direction, when I was in elementary school I had a strange fondness for raw apple cider mix. On many a sunny afternoon I would take out a small package, wet my index finger, then dip it into the powdery stuff before inserting that same finger into my mouth. I don’t know why I started eating cider like this, but it was sheer bliss and my mother kindly looked the other way. With such fond memories to go by I tried eating cider mix a few weeks ago - let’s just say some things are best left to nostalgia.
And then there are those foods that stand the test of time. Chocolate chip cookies, for instance. As a little girl I loved to eat them a few minutes after they finished baking, when the chocolate was still gooey and the surrounding cookie was so deliciously warm. A cold class of milk was the best companion, sometimes merely for drinking, but more often for dunking purposes as well. The warm-cookie cold-milk combo was standard practice and woe unto anyone who tried to steal my cookies! My brother learned this lesson early on, but then he learned how to bake the best cookies ever and suddenly I wasn’t in charge anymore.
To this day my cookie loving habits haven’t changed. But while milk was the beverage of choice during my kiddie years, I now have my infatuation with coffee to consider. Milk is obviously the liquid of choice at night. In the morning coffee always wins. And here we find yet another example of something I love as an adult, yet abhorred as a child. I’ll never forget how good my Dad made his morning coffee look as he read the paper and nibbled on a piece of pan dulce. Then one day he mischievously suggested I sample his cup, knowing full well (I presume) that coffee served black would hardly please the taste buds of a seven-year-old. I jumped at the chance, and as a result I hated coffee until my graduate school years when sleep-deprivation forced me to seek an alternate source of energy.
Given this fondness for cookies and coffee, you can imagine my joy when I found a recipe for chocolate chip cookies infused with liquid coffee concentrate and instant coffee. Be still my heart! Having neither liquid coffee concentrate nor instant coffee on hand I used espresso instead, and the resulting morsels were sheer contentment. I dunked them in milk that night (eating them afterwards of course), then enjoyed them with coffee in the morning. It was coffee-on-coffee bliss, the perfect combination of my childhood and adult inclinations. Substituting plain old Hershey’s chocolate for five-ounces of Scharffenberger semisweet chocolate upped the ante. And then, there were the macadamia nuts. Coffee loving cookie fiends, do I have your attention? May I present, Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from “The Cook’s Book” by Jill Norman
Required equipment: Cookie sheet, parchment paper, electric mixer
Ingredients: Makes 25 cookies
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- scant 1 teaspoon wildflower honey (regular honey is OK too)
- 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- 5-oz chopped Scharffenberger semisweet chocolate (or any other good quality chocolate)
With an electric mixer cream the butter in a bowl. Mix in the sugar, honey and salt. Add the egg and espresso, then beat on low speed for 3 minutes. Add the flour, baking powder and baking soda, then beat for 3 more minutes.
Mix in the macadamia nuts and chocolate, then transfer the dough to a large sheet of parchment paper. Starting in the middle of the paper, spoon out the dough in a long line that runs down the length of the paper. Leave about 4 inches of clear space on either end of the line. Now roll the parchment paper into a cylinder shape 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in cellophane and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Take the dough out of the fridge and cut into slices 1/2 inch thick. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of space in between each slice. Bake for 14 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Book Review : The recipe featured in this post was adapted from “The Cook’s Book” by Jill Norman, a text that has increased my kitchen skills by leaps and bounds. Regular pizza became stuffed pizza pie, ordinary chocolate chip cookies took on a cappuccino flare, and maduros were added to our realm of savory side dishes. More than these particular dishes, “The Cook’s Book” expanded my knowledge of cooking techniques. I learned, for example, how to make an array of sauces, ranging from velouté to berbere and many places in between. But before you are even given a specific recipe the first page of the “Sauces and Dressings” chapter takes you step-by-step through the terms used when making sauces (skimming, sieving, deglazing), then explains the various ways in which sauces can be thickened (roux, butter, arrowroot, etc). All this is done through the use of clear explanations and - get this - photographs for every step. By page 57 an entire world of possibilities had opened before my eyes, and I hadn’t even reached the “Foam,” “Soups” or “Flavoring” sections, not to mention the remaining 537 pages of the book! It’s astounding what a well-written, beautifully photographed cookbook can accomplish. The Editor, Jill Norman, collaborated with some of the world’s best chefs when putting it together, including Rick Bayless, Pierre Hermé and Greg Malouf. I have to say that while working through this book you feel as if you are learning directly from the chefs you admire.
In addition to the chapters mentioned above, “The Cook’s Book” includes sections on eggs & dairy products, fish & shellfish, poulty & game birds, vegetables, pasta & dumplings, breads & batters, and pasty & sweet doughs. The list goes on. These topical chapters are supplemented by sections on Indian cooking, Chinese cooking, Thai cooking, Mexican cooking and Middle Eastern cooking - each presented by a chef who has mastered the area and has created a menu for you. Hence, the Mexican cooking chapter written by Rick Bayless includes recipes for squash blossom-filled corn masa boats; tortilla soup with chili, cheese & avocado; braised pork in red chili sauce and lime ice cream with cajeta. Chapters in “The Cook’s Book” are relatively short and by no means comprehensive, but that’s alright because the point of this text is to teach you essential skills that will enhance your overall ability. Recipes range from simple (how to cook rice perfectly), to challenging (how to make frankfurter kranz), to difficult (how to make croissants), but I appreciated this fact. This is a cookbook that engages you, the cook, on every level. I had to make the stuffed pizza pie referenced above twice before it came out the way I wanted, the same goes for my gnocchi from semolina flour. Yet the end results were delicious and I gained a tremendous sense of accomplishment from learning such tasty new skills.
There isn’t much that can be said about this book that would fall into the negative category. It is a huge text and hence a bit cumbersome, but that is to be expected from a book that transmits such a monumental amount of knowledge. At times the ingredients are a bit esoteric, yet I don’t see how this can be avoided in a book that truly tackles the gourmet side of cooking and baking. Most of the less-common ingredients can be found at Whole Foods or your local speciality food store, and if those avenues fail there is always the internet. Overall I strongly recommend this book to cooks and bakers of every level.
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This entry was posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 by Ariela and is filed under Books, Cookies, Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
50 Comments.
1. Ellie | April 14th, 2007 at 12:57 am
Ooooh, another lover of this book! How awesomely awesome is it?
I’m yet to try many of the recipes but I think I’ve tabbed half the recipes in there as things I want to try sooner rather than later 
2. caitlyn | April 14th, 2007 at 2:46 am
I wish I could smell the cookie through the computer screen!
Thanks for the book review — I will definitely take a look at it!
3. Kat | April 14th, 2007 at 3:32 am
I’ve been debating about this book, but now I think I’m putting it onto my Amazon wish list
Thanks for the the great review. These cookies look delicious!
4. Kat | April 14th, 2007 at 3:32 am
p.s. love the new look of your blog!
5. Lydia | April 14th, 2007 at 5:42 am
The Cook’s Book is one of the mainstays of my culinary library — as are many Jill Norman books. Thoughtful and practical presentations, great instructions and photographs. And any book that puts chocolate and coffee together in a cookie — well, what more needs to be said?!
6. Monika Korngut | April 14th, 2007 at 9:31 am
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I can absolutely relate. As a kid I hated spinach so much and now I love it and have a hard time understanding why some people don’t like it.
Chocolate and Coffee cookie, it must be a delicious treat.
7. thatfarmgirl | April 14th, 2007 at 9:47 am
I agree with Caitlyn. Since you are obviously gifted with genius intelligence, perhaps you can develop the world’s first scratch ‘n sniff blog!
8. Ariela | April 14th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Ellie - It is pretty awesome but what can you except from such a fabulous book? I haven’t tried all the recipes either (there are so many!) but I have tried quite a few. Not only have I loved the results but I feel like each one teaches me something new too.
Caitlyn - I wish you could too! And taste them as well!
Kat - This is certainly a book worth adding to your collection, in fact I believe doing so is a must! There’s just no beating the sheer amount of knowledge and skill it gives you.
Kat x 2 - Thanks!
Lydia - I know, what more can be said? You said it!
Monika - Spinach falls into that category for me too. As do most strong cheeses. Isn’t that funny how our tastes change?
ThatFarmGirl - That is pretty high praise, but clearly you have never observed my lack of linear algebra skills! My face perpetually had an expression of “Huh?” in that class.
However, I do have connections at M.I.T. from my old undergrad days, maybe interactive food blogging is the next huge breakthrough…hmmm.
9. Brilynn | April 14th, 2007 at 11:40 am
That is a serious cookie! I’m a big fan of espresso in brownies too.
10. Claire | April 14th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Well, I like the combo of coffee in baked good but my roomie doesn’t like coffee,so I try to stay away from that. Have you ever used cappuchino baking chips? They’re very good!
11. Kelly-Jane | April 14th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Those cookies look perfect, and coffee on coffee sounds so good!
KJxx
12. Julie | April 14th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
I never developed a taste for coffee straight but I love coffee as a flavoring. I’ll bet these cookies are delicious. Great picture too.
And I’m adding the book to my ever growing cookbook wishlist.
13. Ruth L | April 14th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I’m thinking that a nice stack of your cookies, just like the photo and a steaming cup of coffee, while I sit out on the patio on an early evening reading The Temple Dancer. Just absolutely fun
Okay…so when do you start overnight shipments?
It’s always a true pleasure visiting your site.
14. peabody | April 14th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I really like that book too. Cookies look great,
15. Rosa | April 14th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Those are wonderful cookies! Who would not like them?
Your picture is very nice…
16. Matt | April 14th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
I finally cracked and made one of your recipes today, this one. Possibly the most complex cookies I’ve ever made but they tasted fantastic. Great with a cup of coffee!
I also went out and bought “The Cook’s Book.” Looking forward to the learnin!
17. veron | April 14th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Oh wow. those cookies look heavenly. What a wonderful review of the cook’s book. I definitely love this heavy tome. It has a lot of wonderful techniques from great chefs.
18. Paz | April 14th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Your cookies look delicious!
Paz
19. Cheryl | April 14th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
The combination of chocolate and coffee in a cookie is always a good thing. These look so good I think I broke my fingers trying to grab at the screen.
20. Passionate Eater | April 14th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
That recipe and the final product looks great! Now all we have to do is find a recipe that incorporates chocolate chip cookies, coffee, and APPLE CIDER MIX!
And I still love apple cider mix. There is no shame for us though, that stuff is addictive!
21. Sarah | April 14th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Those cookies look quite good, too bad I don’t like coffee.
I’ll have to check that book out, I need a good book to basically learn from. Being such a new cook I pretty much am starting with a clean slate. I’m going to be posting my first recipe up in the next week, hopefully I don’t blow up the kitchen in the process.
22. liz | April 14th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
ohhh looks so yummy!
23. Amy | April 15th, 2007 at 2:19 am
Coffee and chocolate is a wonderful combination and in a cookie no less, I’m definitely tagging this recipe.
I love macadamia nuts too.
Hehe the apple cider mix is like Fun Dip or Pixie sticks, I use to love those things when I was little. But now I don’t like anything cloyingly sweet.
24. Anali | April 15th, 2007 at 2:20 am
I’m a night owl with a sweet tooth! Okay after this comment it’s time for bed. It’s almost 2:30 am, but I just printed out this recipe! Why do I have the feeling that once I make these cookies, there’s no turning back?
25. Janet | April 15th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I’m excited about the spicy broccoli personally. I add red pepper flakes to many things. Looking back on it, I dont know how I ever lived without it!:)
26. gattina | April 15th, 2007 at 10:19 am
It is a torture!!! A big pile of cookies right in front of me but can’t bite!!! Ari, they sound just terrific!
Love this sleek layout, and the bigger-size for your photo.
27. Ariela | April 15th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Brilynn - Oooo, espresso in brownies… don’t tempt me to start baking this afternoon!
Claire - I haven’t used cappuccino baking chips, in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them! Too bad about your roomie not liking coffee, that’s hard. Do they not allow you to even make coffee for yourself?
Kelly-Jane - They were pretty darn scrumptious that’s for sure. Coffee on coffee is a miraculous combination!
Julie - Isn’t it interesting how our tastes are particular like that? I love fresh cherries but can’t stand anything cherry flavored. Weird!
Ruth L - Now that does sound like a great afternoon! I hear the sequel to “The Temple Dancer” is supposed to come out in the next few months, I can’t wait! You made me laugh with the overnight shipments comment.
Peabody - Thanks!
28. Ariela | April 15th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Rosa - Thanks! I’m sure some people wouldn’t go for the coffee/chocolate combo but that’s why we’re lucky there are so very many cookies we can make!
Matt - These cookies are a little more complex that regular mix and bake cookies, but I’m glad you agree that the extra effort was well worth it. Also, congrats on adding “The Cook’s Book” to your collection!
Veron - Yes, I remember you went out and bought a whole stack of books along with “The Cook’s Book”! It is such a fantastic text, so much fun, so much to learn.
Paz - Thanks!
Cheryl - lol! Well why I don’t want you to break your fingers on the computer screen I hope you won’t mind if I take it as a compliment that you were trying to reach into the site.
Passionate Eater - Only on the blogosphere would I find a fellow foodie who also ate/eats cider mix! Amazing! When I tried it recently it didn’t taste “bad,” but the experience wasn’t as earth shattering as I remembered. Alas! Guess you’re just going to have to indulge in cider dipping for the both of us.
29. Ariela | April 15th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Sarah - If you want to learn a whole heck of a lot about cooking and baking, buy this book. Your taste buds will thank you (and your kitchen will be safe!)
Liz - Yes ma’am.
Amy - Maybe that’s what it is about the cider mix, it’s too sweet for me nowadays. But then, I do love frosting and other super sweet things. Macadamia nuts are one of my favorites to use in baking, they have such a rich texture and subtle flavor.
Anali - 2:30am! Goodness. It’s been a while since I was up that late…. back in college I would stay up until 4am, but nowadays I’m lucky if my eyes stay open until midnight. Have fun making these cookies!
Janet - That spicy broccoli is so good! I use a little good quality olive oil when I’m cooking them and about 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. Very delicious.
Gattina - I think that’s one of the things I like most about this new layout, the bigger photos. I may even go back and resize the images in previous posts. I’m glad you like the look and sorry for torturing you! It was with the best of intentions I swear.
30. aka Nik | April 15th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
These cookies are right up my alley. Sheer bliss, indeed!
31. Naomi | April 15th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
These looks so good! I think I might have to make them so I can enjoy some coffee-coffee yumminess tomorrow morning. Thanks!
32. barbara | April 16th, 2007 at 4:10 am
I love chocolate and macadamia nuts together. Great review on the book. I heard an interview with Jill Norman and she sounds very interesting.
33. Victoria | April 16th, 2007 at 7:43 am
I like this book a lot too. A young woman recently asked me for a recommendation on what book would be good to learn to cook from, and I’ve been debating between this one and another one, but this post has put me over the edge. The Cook’s Book it is.
34. Patricia Scarpin | April 16th, 2007 at 8:10 am
These are fantastic, Ari! This is a great way to use some delicious bittersweet choc chips I bought last week.
35. Samantha M | April 16th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Not only do I love these cookies but I love that you added a print and email feature to your posts! I just emailed this to my mom, she’s a coffee and choclate addict.
PS. I’d seen The Cooks Book before but wasn’t sure it was for me, you changed my mind!
36. Tali | April 16th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Thanks for the great review Ari, I love it when you tell us about the books you use in your kitchen because it makes me feel better about dropping some dinero on a cookbook. I’m going to stop by the bookstore on my lunch break this afternoon and see if they have it.
37. Cris | April 16th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I love cookies and coffee, what a divine combination!!! Will read more carefully about the book and check out the links, leaving to the office soon. Have a great week!!
38. Kristi | April 16th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Those look so good, I haven’t tried a coffee cookie combo yet but I’ll have to have a cookie making day and try these out.
39. Damselfly | April 16th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Wow!
40. Tarie | April 17th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Whoa, cool new layout! =)
41. Cordelia | April 17th, 2007 at 10:17 am
These cookies are so delicious! I made them last night and already they’re gone. (The family helped, I didn’t gobble them all myself!)
42. rowena | April 17th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Well you just gave me an idea for broccoli! I always simple steam it and serve with drawn butter but garlic and hot pepper sounds GREAT! Not to mention much healther than all butter.
The cookies of course can do no wrong. I must’ve made dozens in the past couple weeks…something about spring that makes me yearn for chocolate chip cookies anytime of day!
43. Jeff | April 17th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Love the redesign cool kid!
44. Erin | April 17th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I hope your proud of yourself…..You made a pregnant womans mouth water! hehe
45. Ariela | April 17th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
aka Nik - I’m happy you like them.
Naomi - Let me know how they turn out, have fun!
Barbara - Jill Norman is someone I would like to learn more about, I haven’t been able to find too much on the internet. What was the most interesting part of her interview?
Victoria - I’m glad I could lend a helping hand… it IS hard to choose a book when someone asks for recommendations, but as far as “how to” books go this this one is my new fav.
Patricia - How on earth did a package of chocolate chips survive without being baked into something?
Samantha M - I’m glad you like the new plugins for emailing and printing! I’m still playing around with the email one (those pesky colors are being a pain) but it works, and that’s the important thing.
46. Ariela | April 17th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Tali - I hope you were able to find the book! It’s really my pleasure to review cookbooks for you (it’s a great way to justify my book addiction, lol.)
Cris - It is divine! Hope you’re having a great week too.
Kristi - Cooking making day… that sounds like fun!
Damselfly -
Tari - Thanks!
Cordelia - If you had gobbled them all up yourself I wouldn’t have held it against you, but it is nice to have family around to share the burden.
Rowena - I like to steam broccoli too but cooking them with garlic and red pepper flakes is my fav. The garlic & chili adds so much flavor you don’t feel like anything else is neccessary. Chili in general is a great way to add an extra oomph to food! (And you’re right, Spring does inspire baking!)
Jeff - Thanks Jeff!
Erin - I am totally proud of myself.
47. Kristen | April 17th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
I would love a bit of one of those lovely cookies. Delicious!
48. Ariela | April 19th, 2007 at 10:51 am
Kristen - Thanks! I wish you could have sampled one.
49. Helen | April 23rd, 2007 at 8:17 am
That’s the kind of cookie I crave around 3-4 pm. Serious pick me up. Love the look of it! Brilliant!
50. Nancy | May 5th, 2007 at 8:03 am
OMG! These look so good. I may have to make them. I love to bake, but have been too busy to do much of it lately.