Chocolate Shingle Cookies

by LEON BOUTEILLER

The holiday season is in full gear and I find new ways with old recipes. How to reinterpret classics, retain the charm and nostalgic comfort with a twist. Not always easy. This recipe is mindful of this and adds dimension to what I’ve learned over the years.

Essentially this is a chocolate chip cookie with the chocolate on top like a “shingle” and no chocolate chips in the dough. Pretty conventional but it takes a little more effort than just scooping the dough onto a sheet pan and tossing it in the oven. Before the cookies are fully baked, the pan is removed from the oven and a square of chocolate bark is set on top of each cookie then returned to the oven. I used a commercially available chocolate candy square for uniformity but it’s easy to make your own chocolate bark and cut or break pieces to use for this purpose. Most specialty chocolate shops will have chocolate bark. You can vary the type of bark, white chocolate- peppermint, dark or milk chocolate.

Another twist is the addition of white rice flour to the dough. This helps achieve a chewy center and crispy well-formed edges. I also call for a little ground black pepper. This is intended to add to the flavor complexity and be a background note that shouldn’t stand out on its own. If, for some reason, you don’t like this idea, then omit the black pepper completely or add a teaspoon of instant coffee powder instead. Again this is intended to be a background influence, not a dominant flavor.

CHOCOLATE SHINGLE COOKIES
Yields 24 to 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
24 dark chocolate squares about 1 ¾ to 2 inches a side and ¼ inch thick. I used Ghirardelli 72% cocoa squares but you can make your own bark squares explained below
Note; if you prefer to use milk chocolate squares, completely bake the cookies and place the chocolate squares on the cookies after removing them from the oven. Let cool on a wire rack

Method:

In a stand mixer, blend the butter with the sugars until well mixed
On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed, but not fluffy
Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated
In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour with the rice flour, baking soda and powder along with the salt and black pepper
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until all of it is added
Turn off the mixer and, with a rubber spatula, stir the dough up from the bottom to be sure it is evenly mixed. If at this point the dough appears too wet, add another 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and mix well
Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 325F degrees
You can portion the dough with a number 24 portion scoop or weigh balls of dough about 1 ¾ ounces each or about the size of a golf ball.
Place the balls about 2 ½ inches apart on parchment or silicone pad lined sheet pans and bake for 12 to 13 minutes
Remove the pans from the oven and place a chocolate square centered on the top of each cookie. Return the pan to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes
Immediately remove the cookies from the oven and let cool for 3 minutes then remove the cookies from the pan and cool on a wire rack

Homemade Bark

Empty a bag of good quality dark chocolate chips into a bowl sitting over, not in, a pan of simmering water and when completely melted pour the chocolate onto a lightly oiled sheet pan. A spray oil works best - or parchment - and spread about ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate for a few minutes until firm then cut into squares

A very tasty cookie with some chew and crunch. The chocolate sits on top and guests notice. The black pepper adds a point of interest but will not be peppery as long as you don’t overdo it. You can also add chocolate chips to the dough and bake as you normally would a good chocolate chip cookie.

Enjoy!