Best Bittersweet Chocolate Cardamom And Orange Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE-CARDAMOM POTS DE CRèME

Steps:

• Combine the heavy cream and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high until just boiling. Turn the heat off, cover and steep until infused, 2 hours.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange 6 to 8 (4- to 6-ounce) oven-safe ramekins in a roasting pan or large baking dish at least 2 inches deep.
• Strain the infused cream through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the cardamom pods. Wipe out the saucepan. Add 1 cup/240 milliliters of the infused cream to the saucepan along with the whole milk. Chill remaining infused cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Bring the cream and milk mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar and whisk by hand or using an electric mixer until pale yellow, foamy and thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until well combined. Transfer the custard to a measuring cup or other container with a spout. You should have about 4 cups of custard.
• Divide the custard among the ramekins and carefully transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Tent the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and use a fork or paring knife to poke a few holes in the foil.
• Bake the pots de crème until the tops are set but still jiggly, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the ramekins. The custard will puff up slightly as it bakes, then deflate as it cools. Remove the foil, and let the pots cool in the pan for a few minutes, until they are easier to handle, then transfer them to a rack to cool to room temperature.
• Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until completely cool, at least 2 hours. (These can be made up to 2 days in advance.) Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap if you plan to keep them in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours after they have cooled. To serve, whisk reserved infused cream to soft peaks (it will be loose) with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar and top each pot de crème with a dollop of cream.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until combined.
• Beat together butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until combined well. Add chocolate and nuts and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Roll 1 scant tablespoon of dough into a 1-inch ball, then flatten slightly with palm of your hand to form a 1/3-inch-thick disk and coat with confectioners sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until they puff up and tops crack slightly, 8 to 10 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Recoat cookies with confectioners sugar.

ORANGE CARDAMOM COOKIES

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt.
• Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Quarter dough and form each piece into a 6-inch disk, then chill, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Cut and bake cookies:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Slide dough in parchment onto a tray and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Cut out as many cookies as possible with cookie cutter (chill dough again if necessary), reserving and chilling scraps. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart.
• Bake until edges are golden-brown, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.
• Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once) on cooled freshly lined baking sheets.
• If icing cookies and coloring icing, transfer small batches to small bowls, 1 for each color, and tint with food coloring. Spoon each color of icing into separate sealable bags, pressing out excess air, and snip an 1/8-inch opening in 1 bottom corner of each bag. Pipe icing onto a plate to test consistency. If too thick, thin a small batch with a few drops of orange juice.
• Decoratively pipe icing onto cookies, then sprinkle with decorative sugar (if using) and let dry completely, about 1 hour (depending on humidity).

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE, CARDAMOM AND ORANGE COOKIES

Steps:

• * Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ * Ready 2 sheet trays with silpats or parchment paper * Combine the 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate and 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate in the bowl of a double boiler and melt, let cool. * In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the cooled chocolate, vanilla, and orange zest, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. * Sift together the AP flour, baking soda, kosher salt, cocoa powder, cardamom, and the hazelnut meal/flour. Add to the bowl and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the bittersweet chunks and chips, mix to distribute. * Spoon the cookie dough by heaping teaspoons onto the prepared sheets, and place in the oven for about 14 minutes. * When done, remove the cookies from the oven and immediately sprinkle them with a large grained fleur de sel. Place on a rack to cool.