Recipe: Thomas Haas Chocolate Cookies

I've always liked baking... and eating. Looking back on my first diary from childhood, when the height in technology was more or less a green-tinted rounded computer that weighed a great deal more than the convenient notebook I currently face... my obsession with food had already started settling in. Even at such an innocent age, in almost every entry there is at least one scribbled sentence about some food or sweet, ranging anywhere from kimbab to ice cream. Boy did I start early... but what can I say? The necessity and pleasures of food are about as apparent as a full moon in the dark sky. One of my fondest memories is receiving a little teensy weensy baking set and cooking set... with which I "helped" my mother bake some simple sugar cookie cutouts. I guess I haven't really come that far, now that I'm just about to blossom from my adolescence into a young functional adult for I still adore cookies, especially at home with mom while reminiscing about how my father would have video-taped us... I'm sure he's still watching us. Impressively, my boyfriend seems to enjoy cookies even more than I do... even if he's busy playing a computer game, he will manage to ask me to bring him a sugar cookie from my dining hall if that's where I'm going.
My current project: These cookies are described to be like soft truffles... which sounds absolutely luscious. Plus, (Lucky me!) I found a great new source for Valrhona... TRADER JOE'S!!! Man, I really love that place. $2.69 a bar... which may sound rather pricey but it's SO worth it. Maybe I may get some of their peaches in white grape juice and quinces, for a lovely jam to enjoy in some Angel Pillows. If you're low in time (but high in cash), you can buy pre-made Chocolate Sparkles that you bake at home from here; but for those who derive pleasure from the whole process, the recipe is given below.



½ lb bittersweet chocolate (TH recommends Valrohna if you can find it)
3 T butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 T honey
1/3 c sugar, plus more for rolling
¾ c ground almonds
2 tsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for garnish

Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler, over (but not in contact with) simmering water. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the heated chocolate until melted. Beat eggs with mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light & the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about 10 minutes). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds & mix; gently add to the chocoate mixture.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1 inch balls. Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 12 minutes, until the centres are most, but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with powdered icing sugar.

Makes 36 cookies.

Recipe from here

Picture from here