Top | Cookies, Brownies, and Bar Cookies

Frosted Chocolate Cookies

(recipe, Kim Carlson)


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Introduction

These cookies are from an old family recipe, passed to me by my great-grandmother; they are rich and addictive. More cakey than crisp, I've tested them at 350 degrees, but if your oven cooks "hot," you might wish to lower the temperature to 325; the recipe comes with the proviso that "they burn easily" (although I've never had that problem). Finally, they stay fresh, stored in an airtight container, only for a few days, but they freeze well (also stored in an airtight container) for a couple of weeks.

Ingredients

    Cookies
    1. 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
    2. 3¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
    3. 1 tsp. baking soda
    4. 1 tsp. salt
    5. 1 cup butter
    6. 2 cups brown sugar
    7. 2 eggs
    8. 2 tsp. vanilla
    9. 1 cup milk
    10. 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
    Frosting
    1. 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
    2. 2 Tbsp. butter
    3. 2 Tbsp. water
    4. 2 egg whites
    5. 2 tsp. vanilla
    6. 2 cups confectioners' sugar (maybe a bit more or less)

    Steps

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Make the cookies: Melt 4 oz. chocolate in a double boiler over the stove (if you don't have a double boiler, improvise by nesting a stainless steel bowl over a pan of simmering water). Set aside.
    3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
    4. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and blend well. Add chocolate and blend. Combine vanilla and milk. Stir ⅓ flour mixture into the butter-sugar-eggs; add ⅓ vanilla-milk. Continue until all ingredients are combined; stir in nuts if using.
    5. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Remove cookies to a rack to cool.
    6. Make the frosting: Combine chocolate, butter, and water; melt together. Remove from heat and add egg whites and vanilla. Add confectioners' sugar until frosting reaches a spreading consistency.
    7. Frost cookies and store in airtight containers. If you stack them, separate the layers with waxed paper.