Honestly, I’m not eating all these cookies I’ve been baking lately. Most have gone to a friend who needs them right now, and last week I thought I should give her yet another type of CC cookie. CC cookies are what she craves, so CC cookies it is! Plus we were going to a book group meeting the other night and I thought it would be nice to take a little something to Jean, the hostess, who made a fabulous St. Patty’s dinner for us book-groupies (Jean and Jack are Irish, and made Scotch Eggs, scones, lemon curd, quiche, desserts, plus gallons of Irish Coffee). Jean reads my blog (thank you, Jean) and is always telling me how much she craves some of the food I prepare and write up here on my blog. She loves sweets, so I thought I’d take her some of these cookies.
I’d marked the recipe over at Eggbeater (a blog) about 2 years ago, but hadn’t ever gotten around to making them. What makes these unique are cardamom and dark brown sugar. Well, I have to admit, I didn’t HAVE dark brown sugar, but I surely do hope that light brown won’t have spoiled the recipe. I had everything else on hand, and whipped these up in no time flat.
For my first time around I chose to use regular chocolate chips rather than some of the high-priced chocolate bar-type Shuna recommended – I wasn’t a bit concerned that I wouldn’t LIKE these – I was sure I would – but the next time I’ll definitely use the “good stuff” in them. As I’ve likely said way too many times, there aren’t many chocolate chip cookies I’ve met that I haven’t liked. And in this case I didn’t think either Norma or Jean would care that I used Nestle’s instead of an expensive 65% chocolate chip/chunk.
Shuna shared a funny story about these cookies – about how she used to make them for the kitchen staff, but in time they became a regular, then she kept the batter in the refrigerator at all times. Those are the kinds of credentials that make for a good formula. Shuna recommends using parchment paper on the cookie sheets, so the chocolate doesn’t burn. The batter is soft – softer than usual – but worked just perfectly when baked.
I’m not going to write up a separate post about the book we reviewed, but will just mention that it was REALLY interesting. Gripping. Riveting. Couldn’t-put-it-down kind of read. Called Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. Several in our book group read it last year, raved about it, so we included it in our book reads for ’09. What a story. It’s the fictionalized account (but based on the real events) of the affair between Mamah (pronounced may-mah) Borthwick Cheney (a married woman with 2 young children) and Frank Lloyd Wright (also married, with 6 children). In the 1905 timeframe in Oak Park, Illinois, the affair was absolutely scandalous. Off the charts scintillating. Nearly the ruin of Wright’s career. Both left their respective spouses (AND children) and escaped to Europe for about a year, madly in love with one another, where they lived together. Mamah’s husband eventually granted her a divorce, but Wright’s wife refused. So marriage wasn’t in the cards for them. Wright had designed and built a house for the Cheneys (that’s how they met). Eventually both returned to the U.S. and Wright built a home an hour or two away from Chicago where they could basically hide. That’s Taliesen, the famous home, in the woodlands of Wisconsin. What happens after that I just can’t tell you. You really have to read the book. Despite the subject being infidelity, I found this book compelling nevertheless. And what happens is chilling. Enough said. Buy the book. Read it.
The cookies? Sweet. Flatter than some. Caramely. Chocolate-y. Crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Overall: good. Will I make them again? Well, maybe. I might try them with the expensive ingredients. I couldn’t taste the cardamom, so would increase it in the recipe below. I also chilled the dough, which made it easier to spoon onto cookie sheets. And next time I might add chopped walnuts to the dough too. But then, I like nuts.
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Cardamom Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Recipe: Shuna Fish Lydon, from eggbeater blog
Servings: 72
NOTES: You can use chocolate chips if you’re not inclined to use expensive chocolate for this. These are very sweet, and you may want to add more cardamom – I couldn’t taste it with the above amounts.
9 ounces unsalted butter — softened
7 ounces sugar
11 ounces dark brown sugar
3 large eggs — at room temperature
2 tablespoons vanilla
18 ounces all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda — sifted
1/2 teaspoon cardamom — seeds, ground (discard shells) (or more)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom (or more)
2 teaspoons Kosher salt — reduce if you find this too salty (I used 1 tsp)
8 ounces dark chocolate — 67-74% cacao
3 tablespoons cocoa nibs
1. Cream butter and both sugars together with mixer until mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, soda, both cardamoms and salt, then slowly add to batter and mix well.
4. Add the chocolate (chopped up fine) and the cocoa nibs. Mix slowly just to combine well.
5. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes (or longer). Preheat oven to 375. Use scoop to place dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets.
6. Bake for 9-12 minutes (depends on your oven) until golden brown. Remove sheets but allow to cool on the sheets for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Per Serving: 100 Calories; 4g Fat (37.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 15g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 84mg Sodium.
Picture right: one of the saltine toffee shards turned on its edge so you can see the layers.
Making up the cookie dough was really simple – these cookies aren’t all that different as far as ingredients. Although, this one called for powdered sugar, not regular sugar, pine nuts (not very traditional in cookies), and the finely chopped dried apricots. But then there’s the 
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