GROUND CHOCOLATE COOKIE WAFER BASE

Ground Chocolate Cookie Wafer Base image

This recipe is meant to replace the chocolate cookie base found in a lot of pie, and tart recipes. While there are a lot of chocolate wafer cookie recipes out there, these are not designed to be eaten like cookies (although I suppose you could), they are designed to be ground up, and used in baking recipes that call for a chocolate wafer base... Like Oreos. The thing that I like most about making my own is that I get to skip all the preservatives and other stuff that comes with store-bought cookies. Besides, when you grind out Oreos you get the creamy center, and that ruins it for me.

Provided by Andy Anderson ! @ThePretentiousChef

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup(s) cocoa powder, unsweetened
1 cup(s) sugar, granulated variety
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt, table variety
1/4 teaspoon(s) baking soda
14 tablespoon(s) sweet butter, unsalted, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoon(s) milk, full fat
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

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.