Dan's "just hell" Cookies

Dan's "just hell" mudslide cookies

I had to laugh when I overheard Daniel talking to his Mum on the phone giving her suggestions about what would be a good recipe to try out in her brand new mixer. It went like this "NO! not the mudslide cookies Mum, they taste amazing but it's like hell making them, just hell!!"

I don't know about the "hell" part, but Daniel sure makes a decadent cookie with his adaptation of Martha Stewart's Mudslide cookies ;) They're not inexpensive to make due to all the chocolate, but they do make fabulous gifts packaged in cello bags, boxes or tins, also ideal for church/bake sales/fetes.. large enough to sell singularly too.

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

2/3 cup plain flour  (all-purpose flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

170g (6 ounces) 70% or bitter chocolate, coarsely chopped

450g (1 pound) dark eating chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract/essence

450g (1 pound) cadbury dairy milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

*extra chocolate (optional) Daniel adds any extra chocolate he finds in the house... up to another 450g (1 pound)... makes an extra 1/2 dozen to a dozen cookies all up.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C (400 degrees F). Line baking sheets with non stick mats or silicone baking paper; set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, or in the top of a double boiler, set over a pot of simmering water, melt together unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter; set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cooled, melted chocolate mixture, and combine on low speed.

Add flour mixture, and continue to beat on low speed until almost combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer; stir in milk chocolate & extra chocolate if using by hand.

Using a standard sized ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets.

Alternatives; replace some of the chopped chocolate that is added to the dough with nuts. Or do what Dan does and look around for what you can add... maybe crushed peppermint candy, maybe raisins.... probably not a good idea to add the different things in one batch of cookies ;)

recipe adaptation, baking and photography; Daniel Paxton-Zahra