Ground Chocolate Cookie Wafer Base Recipes

Steps:

• Chef's Note: If you want to add a hint of peppermint, add two drops of pure peppermint oil to the batter when mixing.
• Combine all the dry ingredients into the clean bowl of a food processor, fitted with an S-blade, and pulse a few times until thoroughly combined.
• Sprinkle the butter cubes over the surface of the dry ingredients, and do about 10 pulses, of one second each, or until the butter is thoroughly combined.
• Chef's Note: In some recipes I freeze the butter, but not this one. After the butter is cut into small cubes, I usually return it to the refrigerator on a small tray. When I need it, I remove it from the fridge, and let it stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients.
• Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl, and with the food processor running at low speed, slowly add the liquid.
• Continue to process until the mixture is thoroughly combined. It should resemble a thick, but pliable dough.
• Remove from food processer, and kneed a few times just to make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• Form the dough into a log, about 2 inches thick. The thickness does not have to be precise, just get close.
• Tightly wrap the log in cling foil, or wax paper, and place in the refrigerator for two hours.
• Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350f (176c).
• Remove the log from the refrigerator, and slice into 1/4-inch (.6mm) medallions.
• Baking Tip: The cookies will expand during the baking process; so place them about 1 inch (2.5mm) apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes; rotating the baking sheet back-to-front half way through the process.
• Chef's Note: While watching these cookies bake, they will puff up, and then collapse. I've noticed that they are usually done about a minute after they collapse.
• Remove from oven, and place on a cooling rack.
• Chef's Note: The cookies will crisp as they cool. If they are still a bit moist, you need to cook them longer.
• Chef's Tip: Since all ovens are not created equal, it might be a good idea to do a few test cookies until you get the temperature and timing right.
• Take the crisp cookie medallions and place them into the clean bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-Blade.
• Use 1-second pulses until the medallions are ground into an even crumb. About 6 to 8 pulses should do the trick.
• Chef's Note: Don't pulse too many times, or you'll wind up with chocolate dust. Stop and check occasionally. As one of our teachers said: You can always add another pulse, but you can't take one away.
• Place the chocolate crumbs in a tightly sealed Ziploc bag, and place in the freezer until your recipe calls for them. They should store nicely for 4 to 6 months.
• Chef's Note: In the near future, I will be posting some pie, and tart recipes that call for this kind of base... YUM !!!
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in sliced almonds. , Shape dough into a 14-in. log; roll in ground almonds. Wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm., Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks.

Steps:

• Combine butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light, about 5 minutes, scraping bowl and beaters occasionally. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition.
• While the mixture is beating, sift the cocoa with the flour and salt. Stop mixer, scrape down bowl and beaters and add dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
• Scrape the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of wrap and press the dough into a rough disk. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm -- several hours or overnight.
• About 20 minutes before you intend to bake the cookies, set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
• Divide the dough into 3 parts and roll one at a time on a lightly floured work surface into a 6-inch square. Cut the dough with a fluted or plain round cutter into nine 2-inch cookies and place them on the prepared pan. Continue with the remaining dough. After rolling all the dough, press the scraps back together and make about 9 more cookies. Pierce the cookies several times with a fork and sprinkle them lightly with granulated sugar.
• Bake the cookies about 20 minutes, until slightly puffed and firm. Cool the cookies on the pan.
• Serve with any creamy or plain dessert, or ice cream. They're also great by themselves. Storage suggestion: Keep the cookies between layers of waxed paper in an air-tight tin or plastic container

Steps:

• Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, or more if you have them; you'll make 3 to 4 baking sheets' worth of cookies.
• In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt, baking powder, and espresso powder.
• Beat in the egg and vanilla, then the flour and cocoa.
• Cover the dough, and chill for 30 minutes.
• While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F
• Roll the dough about 1/8" thick; use cocoa instead of flour to dust your rolling board and the dough.
• Cut into 2 1/2"-round cookies. A biscuit cutter is handy for this.
• Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Watch them closely at the end of the baking time, and if you start to smell chocolate before 10 minutes has gone by, take them out.
• When they're done, remove the cookies from the oven, and allow them to cool completely.
• FILLING: Whisk together the heavy cream and other ingredients. When blended, whip until the cream holds a soft peak.
• ASSEMBLY: Place one cookie on a small plate. Put about a tablespoon of whipped cream on top; our teaspoon cookie scoop, heaped up, works well here.
• Top with a second cookie, using it to compress the whipped cream to about a 1/4"-thick layer.
• Repeat with 4 more cookies, finishing with a layer of whipped cream.
• Refrigerate from 4 to 24 hours before serving.
• OTHER FLAVORING OPTIONS: To flavor 1 cup of cream, add one of the following combinations: *2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar + 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; *2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar + 1/8 teaspoon coconut flavor; *2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar + 1/8 teaspoon peppermint oil; *1 tablespoon granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon Dutch processed cocoa + 1 teaspoon espresso powder.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the cookie crumbs and pecans until the nuts are finely ground. (The crumbs keep the nuts from turning into nut butter.)
• In a separate bowl, stir together the bourbon, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and honey. Add the mixture to food processor and pulse until just combined. Let the dough rest overnight, uncovered and at room temperature. This allows the mixture to dry out a little.
• Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter, then toss the balls in confectioners' sugar. Store them in an airtight container if you want them moist, or uncovered if you like them to develop a crunchy sugar crust on the outside. Sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse ground chocolate wafers, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until well combined.
• Pat mixture into a 9-inch pie dish, pressing firmly into bottom and up sides. Bake until crust is fragrant and darkens slightly, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.