Salted Chocolate-Rye Cookies

After spending a long, whirlwind, weather perfect weekend exploring parts of Philadelphia and Annapolis, I haven't been able to get all of the 'experienced for the first time' images out of my head. From the historic sites in the Old City section of Philadelphia, to the vibrancy of the Reading Terminal Market, to the architecture of the buildings and homes on the narrow streets in Annapolis, to the breathtaking views on the Chesapeake Bay, my heart is still racing from the sheer beauty of the places with two very distinct personalities, yet ones retaining their Colonial days aura. On the food front, the cheesesteaks, tomato pie, and soft baked pretzels in Philly were delicious, however, the crab cakes made with fresh lump Maryland crab caused me to fall even more deeply, madly in love with Annapolis. Already I am wondering when I might be able to make a return trip there. 

After several days of absolutely gorgeous, sunny, low humidity, white cloud sky days out east, I returned back to the midwest to what felt like early October chilly weather. For a millisecond I thought 'how long was I gone for?' As much as I would selfishly like for summer to hang around for a little while longer, I must confess I can barely contain my enthusiasm for the arrival of my most favorite season. From the cooler temperature weather, to the changes in the colors of the landscape, to the return of my favorite holidays, to perfect sleeping weather, and to when just turning on the oven to bake is enough to take the chill out of the house, autumn is one of those seasons I wish could go on endlessly. While winter can sometimes be a bit of grinch and encroach on the final days of fall, it is a welcome blessing when summer graciously allows fall to begin a little early. 

I managed to read an entire book ("The Martian") during my weekend getaway (making my flights with stops being a little more palatable), flip through a few food magazines picked up in the airport on the flight out, and keep up with the myriad of food related emails populating my inbox. The book was exceptional, a must read in spite causing me to weep in public. The magazines were filled with ideas and inspiration. However, reading about one of Tartine's cookie recipes in an email made me incredibly grateful I had returned home to perfect baking weather temperatures. Before even unpacking my luggage, I went through my cabinets to make sure I had all of the ingredients for their Salted Chocolate-Rye Cookies. Discovering a quick morning trip to the grocery store to pick up some muscovado sugar was necessary, taking the the eggs and butter out of the refrigerator before ultimately heading to bed guaranteed I would be committed to making these cookies. 

Muscovado sugar is an unrefined dark brown cane sugar having a strong molasses flavor and slightly coarser than most brown sugars. With a texture similar to a wet, moist, sticky sand and having hints of fruit and toffee, muscovado has a more complex flavor profile than granulated sugar or light/dark brown sugars. But if it isn't something easily accessible in your grocery store, dark brown sugar can be substituted. However, if you can find organic dark brown sugar (versus the boxed or bagged 'normal' dark brown sugar) buy it as that would be a great substitute. Not exactly the same as muscovado, organic brown sugar is the next best thing. And it is what I used for these cookies (Trader Joe's has a great organic brown sugar).

I have recently become a big fan of the use of rye flour in pie crusts and other baked confections.  It so happens these cookies call for the use of an organic dark rye whole grain flour (Bob's Red Mill makes a great dark rye flour). Unfortunately there is no substitute for this flour. Once you start using it, more than likely it will become one of your flour staples. I promise.

There is a full pound of dark chocolate with 70-72% cocoa in these cookies. And in my world there is no such thing as too much chocolate. However, there are only four tablespoons of butter in these cookies. So on balance it's all good.

Tartine recommends melting the chocolate and butter using the double-boiler method. I used the microwave method. Use whichever method you have had the most success with. 

I am not the first one to share Tartine's Salted Chocolate-Rye Cookies on a food blog. But sometimes being late to the party is a good thing. Several foodbloggers shared the cookies flattened slightly after cooling (and some photos showed a pretty flat cookie). I wanted to make these cookies but I didn't want them to be flat. So I wondered if making a change to the chilling process (sort of but not exactly like the one used in Tara's Chocolate Chip Cookies) would ensure my cookies remain slightly puffy once they cooled to room temperature. If a picture tells a thousand words (or even just a few), these may have answered my question.

This is a very soft dough cookie when initially mixed. It is one that must be chilled for 30-45 minutes before it is scooped out into tablespoon sized balls (an ice cream scoop makes this easier). But the first chilling isn't enough to make it feasible to roll them into balls. Covering the cookie sheet filled with dough 'rough' balls with plastic wrap, they go back in the refrigerator for a second chilling. I waited three hours (because I had some errands to), however, I think a chilling time of at least an hour would work. Making perfect round 'balls' is easier if you allow them to sit out for about 15 minutes before rolling out the 'rough' dough balls.

Topped with flaky (Maldon) sea salt, the cookies are baked in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven for 8-11 minutes. My baking time was closer to 11 minutes, which was probably due to my slightly larger than one tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough.

Biting into this cookie is better than biting into your favorite fudgy brownie. The very slight exterir crunch gives way to an inside having an amazing creamy like, rich chocolately texture. These are definitely decadent, addictive cookies. Even if you think you do not need one more cookie in your cookie making rotation, especially one requiring dark rye flour and/or a dark brown organic sugar (things you might not normally buy) or made with a pound of chocolate, think again. And if you are thinking of waiting to make these cookies until the holidays, think again. 

I brought these cookies to my running group and several of them called me the 'devil'. While in another context I may have frowned at hearing that comparison, it was the best thing anyone said to me all day.

After making and tasting these cookies I ended up buying Tartine's third cookbook, one published two years ago. Again, a little late to the party. If my subtle attempts at encouraging you to visit Annapolis or read the book 'The Martian" are unsuccessful, I really, really hope you make these Salted Chocolate-Rye Cookies. And sooner rather than later. "Beware of missed chances; otherwise it may altogether too late some day."

Recipe
Salted Chocolate-Rye Cookies (ever so slight adaptation to the recipe in Tartine Book No. 3: Modern Ancient Classic Whole)

Ingredients
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (70-72% cocoa), chopped (I used Trader Joe's Belgium Dark Chocolate with 72% cocoa)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup whole-grain dark rye flour (recommend Bob's Red Mill)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar, muscovado sugar, or dark brown sugar, packed (I used Trader Joe's Organic Brown sugar)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Flaky Sea Salt (recommend Maldon)

Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, add in chopped chocolate and butter. Melt over medium heat in a saucepan filled with one inch of water brought to a simmer (be careful that bottom of the bowl is not touching the water). Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are melted. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Alternately, melt chocolate in the microwave. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the rye flour, baking powder and fine sea salt.
3. Place the eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high, adding the sugar a few tablespoons at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated.  Turn mixer to high and whip until eggs have tripled in volume and turned very light yellow and fluffy (approximately 6 minutes).
4. Reduce the speed on the mixer to low and add melted chocolate, followed by the the vanilla. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Add in flour mixture and stir until just combined. Note: The dough will be very soft.
6. Refrigerate dough until it is firm to the touch (approximately 30-45 minutes). Note: If cooled too long, the dough will be hard to scoop.
7. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Using a tablespoon sized ice cream scoop, form rounded balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for 60-180 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
9. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and roll each dough ball until round and smooth. Place on a prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Top each mound of dough with a few flakes of sea salt, pressing gently so it adheres. Note: Allowing the chilled dough balls to sit for 10 minutes makes rolling easier.
10. Bake 8-11 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up, have a smooth bottom and a rounded top with a few small cracks. Remove baking sheets from the oven and allow to sit for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. Serve immediately.
Note: Cookies will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Images taken while walking in Central City Philadelphia and the Reading Terminal Market.

Blackberry Almond Tart

By the time you see this blog I will be on a plane with my overpacked (and more than likely over the weight limit) bags heading east to spend a long weekend with my nephew. Last summer we spent a long weekend exploring several towns in Montana, his 'summer internship' home state. This year our adventure will be spent discovering various parts of Pennsylvania, his 'first job post college graduation' home state. While our whirlwind weekend is already over planned (hardly a surprise there), I am secretly hoping we can squeeze in a stop in at least one antique store (because how can one possibly spend any time in Pennsylvania and not look for centuries old treasures?) and a farmer's market or road side stand (because how could one resist the allure of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables). Keeping my fingers crossed the platter of homemade chocolate chip cookies baked in the wee hours before leaving for the airport will be enough to sway him into granting one, if not both, of these wishes. 

If our Pennsylvania adventure is anything like the one we had in Montana, this should be another story-filled, memorable, heart-endearing, great food finds, filled with firsts, reinforcing my quirky aunt status (but not 100% of the time) trips. What comes with getting older and wiser is the realization that the memories of a trip or adventure are far more valuable than any tangible gift could ever be (except maybe that 8th grade graduation not exactly jump up and down exciting graphing calculator present).  If I asked my now chemical engineering degreed nephew what were the gifts he received for all of the significant events in his life, he may recall some of them. But if I asked him about the trips to New Orleans, Montana, the Ivy League college visits, or the weekend visit adventures, I am pretty certain he would remember details from each of them. Even the ones going back to when he was just two years old (although there are few things I would like for him to forget!). Family connections aside, this amazing closeness between us, without a doubt, has been as a result of the quality and quantity of time we have spent and continue to spend together. 

The weather here this week felt more autumnal than summery. Definitely cause for it's own kind of celebration. With the decreased heat and humidity came the added incentive to bake this light and fluffy frangipane with seasonal blackberry tart. 

If by chance you have never made or tasted anything having an almond rich frangipane (fran-jee-pan-ee) filling before, it is your lucky day. Similar to a pastry cream, almond paste is mixed together with sugar, butter, eggs, and flour to create a soft, velvety, spreadable cream and used primarily as a filling in tarts or croissants. Topped with slivered almonds and sanding sugar, this Blackberry Almond Tart has both a buttery crust and a luscious frangipane filling studded with fresh, ripe blackberries. In a single bite it is french pastry meets summer bounty goodness. Or in other worlds, it is one of those best of both worlds kind of tarts. 

My anxiety-free crust making confidence took a bit of a setback in the making of this tart. Not only was the crust dough was much softer than I had anticipated, it was also slightly more humid than I realized. The crust ingredients call for 1 1/2 cups of pastry flour, but I should have added a little flour more before attempting to knead the dough. And had I allowed the crust to refrigerate for longer than two hours I may have never had to experience a few moments of angst when rolling out and transferring the dough to the 9 inch tart pan. All growling aside, I managed to make it all work. These were the lessons learned when making this tender crumb, buttery crust. So if by any chance you have a similar experience when you make this crust, just persevere as it is incredibly delicious when baked.

The pastry filling will come together easier if you cut up the almond paste before mixing with the butter and sugar. Another one of the lessons learned in the making of this tart.

The almond paste rich taste of the filling might have you think the sliced almonds on top are unnecessary or a bit too much. They aren't. Not only do they add a beautiful finishing touch to the tart, they add some crunch. My new favorite thing is adding a little 'sparkle' on tarts and most pies. Sprinkling a white/clear sanding sugar gives them the most beautiful bakery look finish.

The tart is baked in a preheated 350 degree (F) oven in the lower part of the oven. In case you ever wondered if oven rack position matters, it does. Most cookies and cakes are baked on a rack centered in the oven. As a general rule, if having the bottom brown during baking is critical, the rack is adjusted lower in the oven. Conversely, if it is the top you want to brown, the rack would be adjusted higher. This tart needs both a browned bottom and browned top. So if after 35 of baking time the top of your tart is not a golden brown color, place it on a higher rack and back for an additional 5-10 minutes.

The only adornment this Blackberry Almond Tart needs is a light dusting of confectionary sugar. Some slightly sweetened whipped cream would be nice to balance out the deep almond flavor of the tart, but completely optional.

After cooling the tart on a wire rack, remove the rim of the pan and place the tart on a platter. This is one of those worthy of being placed on a 'pedestal' platter.

Before blackberries go out of season, and you want to make something other than a cobbler, pie or crisp, consider making this tart. 

Well it's getting late here and I still have a long list of things to get done before I leave the house. And if there is anyone you care about deeply, love, or value being in your life, spend time with them, make memories as often as you can, go on an adventure, share meals together, bake for them. Have a great weekend. 

Recipe

Blackberry Almond Tart (slight adaptation the Blackberry Almond Tart recipe created by Elsie Rhodes, a pastry chef at the Hyannis (MA) Pain D'Avignon)

Ingredients

Crust

15 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup confectionary sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups pastry flour, plus additional for work surface

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

6 ounces almond paste, cut into pieces (recommend Odense Almond Paste)

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pints fresh blackberries

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1-2 Tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)

Confectionary sugar for dusting

Directions

Crust

1. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand held mixer, cream butter and confectionary sugar at medium speed until mixture is pale in color (approximately 2-3 minutes).

2. Add egg and beat well.

3. Add flour, vanilla and salt, mixing until combined.

4. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface, kneading for 2 or 3 turns. Note: This is a softer dough, however, if your dough feels 'unkneadable' add little more flour. 

5. Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Recommend allowing the dough to chill at least 3 hours as a chilling time of 2 hours made rolling out the dough a bit challenging.

6. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 1/4" thick circle. Transfer to a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan. Press dough into sides of pan and roll the rolling pin over top of tart pan to create a clean finished top. Refrigerate dough while preparing the filling.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and set rack to the bottom of the oven.

Filling and Assembly

1. Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand held mixer, cream the almond paste with the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (approximately 5 to 7 minutes).

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

3. With the mixer on low speed, add flour and beat until blended.

4. Scrape filling into the prepared shell, using an offset spatula to smooth the top.

5. Press blackberries down into the filling, distributing them evenly throughout. 

6. Top with sliced almonds and sanding sugar.

7. Place tart on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until top is golden brown (approximately 35-40 minutes). Note: My baking time was almost 45 minutes.

8. Allow tart to cool on a wire rack.

9. Remove rim from tart and transfer to a platter or cake stand. Lightly dust with confectionary sugar.

10. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. 

Optional: Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream and/or additional fresh blackberries.

Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers

Seriously, who does not love meatballs? Meatballs on sandwiches, meatballs with pasta, meatballs in soup, meatballs on top of macaroni and cheese, meatballs on a pizza, cocktail meatballs, Swedish meatballs, a meatball bahn mi, or meatballs all by themselves. Okay, well maybe those, who for a myriad of personal or health reasons, no longer subscribe to a carnivorous way of life. However, for those of us who continue to indulge ourselves in those little round, juicy, tender bites of comfort food deliciousness, these Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers definitely need to put on the meatball rotation. Why? Well because it would almost be a crime not to experience them.

Depending on your early life influences, the advice given by the food writers or chefs you have put on your own silver plater, the recipe you are making, or simply your taste preferences, you will fry, roast/bake, and/or braise your meatballs. There are some rather loyal and overly passionate professional and home cooks out there who swear (although not literally use four letter words) to advocate for the single, one right way to cook meatballs. I happen to know a couple of them. Then there are those of like me, who at the moment, don't seem to have a foot in one particular meatball cooking camp. We are apt to sing the praises of all of them, until such time we feel compelled to choose only one. Spoiler Alert: These meatballs are fried. There are only so many food battles one can fight. And the last time I checked I believe I had exceeded my quota. 

Immediately upon seeing chef Seamus Mullen's recipe for Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers in the April (2015) issue of Bon Appetit, I knew it was one of those 'absolutely, definitely, must make' dishes. Actually I was salivating at the thought of the taste of these meatballs. Shame on me for procrastinating several months before making it. Looking back, there were several occasions where these meatballs, along with some homemade hummus and grilled Naan, would have made for the perfect 'little' meal or 'appetizers'. But the kicking myself doesn't end there. Had I made this recipe when I first saw it, I would have bought and planted more herbs this summer (oh, how spoiled I was in the east coast farmhouse). 

This recipe looks complicated and time consuming. It really isn't (although degree of difficulty lends itself to various interpretations). However, there are quite a few spices in both the meatballs and the sauce which some of you may find a little off-putting (please try to get over that feeling). However, if you have a well stocked spice drawer, are a big fan and maker of Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes, or make lamb somewhat frequently, you will not be deterred by the number of spices and herbs going into the making of these meatballs. You might even be saying 'the more the merrier'! 

Time for a bit of a digression and true confession. More often than I sometimes like to admit (at least publicly), there are ingredients I have never used before, making me a little clueless as to where to find them in the grocery store. So if you are someone (like me) who has never cooked with pasilla chiles before, don't look for them in the produce section (like I did). They are actually dried chiles and most likely found in one of the ethnic food aisles of your grocery store. 

Removing the seeds from the dried pasilla chiles reduces the amount of 'heat' in the sauce. So if when you saw the word chile in the recipe you immediately thought 'hot', you would have guessed wrong. The better description of them is 'robustly flavored'. The Bon Appetit recipe called for the use of red pepper flakes, however, I used Aleppo pepper instead as it somewhat milder in flavor and heat. But if you like spicy hot, feel free to use the red pepper flakes. I don't have a spice grinder or use my coffee grinder for grinding herbs. Instead I use a small food processor which so far has worked well.

In addition to dried spices, the meatballs are made with three different fresh herbs (parsley, oregano and sage) and topped with another (mint). 

The meatball mixture comes together easily in a food processor. 

For uniform sized meatballs I like using an ice cream scoop. This recipe yields approximately 24-26 1 1/2 inch in diameter meatballs. For a gathering 5 or 6 people (where you were making this and one other appetizer) a single batch of the meatballs and sauce should be plenty (unless of course they come to your house and are 'hangry'). More than likely though, there will be not be any leftovers. 

If you have a cast iron skillet, use it to fry up these meatballs. If you don't use the heaviest bottom fry pan that you have. In the 5 to 8 minutes it takes to cook the meatballs, you want to make sure they are cooked through and have a nice crust (not burnt) crust to them. It took only two Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to fry up all of these meatballs.

Once cooked, the meatballs are transferred to a baking sheet lined with paper towels in order to allow them to drain. 

The drained meatballs are then mixed in with the chile-cumin sauce. As delicious as these meatballs are all by themselves, they are transformed when coated in the sauce. Note: If by chance you make a double batch of the meatballs and sauce and have some leftover, they do reheat up nicely in a very low oven or in the microwave.

English cucumbers mixed with some lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sherry vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper are the perfect compliment to the meatballs. The crisp slightly acidic cucumbers, the creaminess of the yogurt, and the deeply flavored meatballs make for the ultimate meatball eating experience.

This is definitely what I would call one of those 'impressive' dishes. The kind of dish that makes any of us home cooks look like professional chefs, yet it doesn't require years of culinary training or expertise to be able to make. These are after all just meatballs. Only these Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers are the kind most likely to leave an impression on your palate, the kind of impression you are not likely to forget, and more than likely want to experience again and again and again. Yet if by chance you subscribe to the notion of all good things in 'moderation' (aka an incomprehensible, deprivation-like form self-control), these meatballs will have you rethinking it. These are one of those 'Life is short' reminders we all need every once in a while.

Recipe
Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers (slight adaptation to Bon Appetit's Chile-Cumin Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt and Cucumbers April 2015 recipe)
Makes approximately 24-26 meatballs.

Ingredients
Chile Sauce
3 dried pasilla chiles, seeds removed, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper (or can use crushed red pepper flakes)
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 Tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt

Meatballs
1/4 cup onion, minced
7-8 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cucumber Mixture and Assembly
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup plain cow's or sheep's whole milk yogurt (recommend Fage) or Labna
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Aleppo pepper (or crushed red pepper) for serving

Directions
Chile-Cumin Sauce
I. In a small skillet, toast chopped chiles, aleppo pepper (or red pepper flakes) and cumin seeds over medium heat. Toss occasionally until fragrant and cumin seeds are golden (approximately 3 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. In either a mini-food processor or spice mill, process spice mixture until finely ground. Transfer to a small food processor.

3. To the spice mixture, add the sherry vinegar, smoked sweet paprika and garlic. Blend until smooth.
4. With motor running, slowly add in extra virgin olive oil until combined. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt.
5. Cover sauce whether or not serving immediately. If not, place chile sauce in the refrigerator. It can be made several hours or up to 2 days ahead. When serving, heat sauce slightly to take the chill off.

Meatballs
1. In a large food processor, pulse onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, sage, fennel seeds, coriander, cumin and 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt until finely chopped.
2. Add ground lamb, egg and flour. Pulse until combined.
3. Form lamb mixture into 1 1/2" balls.
4. In a large skillet (preferably a cast iron skillet), heat 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. 
5. Working in 2 batches, cook meatballs, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through on all sides (about 5-8 minutes). Transfer cooked meatballs to a sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain. Note: If needed can add 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil to pan, however, I found it wasn't necessary.
6. Transfer meatballs to a medium-sized bowl and add chile sauce. Toss to coat.

Cucumber Mixture and Assembly
1. In a medium sized bowl, toss cucumbers with lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sherry vinegar and 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
2. For individual servings, spoon some of the yogurt sauce on the plate/bowl, top with 4-5 meatballs, add 7-8 slices of cucumber, sprinkle lightly with chopped mint and aleppo pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
3. For buffet serving, spread yogurt on bottom on platter, arrange meatballs, add cucumber slices, sprinkle lightly with chopped mint and aleppo pepper flakes. Serve immediately.
Notes: (1) Meatballs are delicious warm or at room temperature, (2) If yogurt is too thick to spread, mix in some freshly squeezed lemon juice so it has a creamier texture, (3) If making for a large gathering, make a double batch and (4) If you serve with some Grilled Naan and homemade hummus, well you don't just have a full meal, you have the makings of a party.

Random photos of bridges.

Hazelnut English Chocolate Crisps

"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope." (Dr. Seuss) In the childhood of my dreams I would come home from a long day of and even longer walk from school to find a June Cleaver clone standing with a plate of freshly made cookies. Warm out of the oven would be nice, but this fantasy isn't that fussy. It doesn't matter what kind of cookies they were, although they absolutely needed to contain some chocolate. Milk, dark, or white chocolate, it doesn't matter. However, as my cookie preferences have shifted over the years, there have been some revisions to this childhood school day fantasy. In its' current iteration Ina Garten has taken on the role of June Cleaver and the cookies...well they are still homemade with chocolate in them, but now they also contain some kind of nut. Walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, it really doesn't matter. Because one of the nice things about indulging yourself in a fantasy, without risking being perceived as someone who has completely lost touch with reality or worse yet, confuses reality with the fantasy, is being able to make changes to it as your life experiences change.

Whenever I see a recipe for a 'no-bake' cookie or bar (Rice Krispie Treats exempted), I am a little hesitant to try it. From some reason when I see 'no bake' I hear 'instant', as in 'instant pudding', 'instant potatoes' and all of those other 'instant' foods that really don't compare to their 'real' counterparts (with a few exceptions). For months now I have been fighting the urge to make a 'no-bake' cookie recipe published in Food and Wine sometime last year. But then I saw Ina Garten make a similar version of this cookie from her Make it Ahead cookbook and well, if it was good enough for Ina to make, how could it not be good? No let me take that back. How could it not be great? As an Ina seal of approval in 2015 might possibly be a more highly coveted endorsement than the Good Housekeeping seal of approval created more than a century ago.

After comparing the two recipes, I thought I would try my hand at creating a hybrid of the two while adding my own spin to it by combining my love of both chocolate and nuts into a single cookie. 

If making a 'no bake' cookie wasn't enough of a significant departure from my cookie baking preferences, then making one using corn flakes would make anyone question whether or not I had truly lost my mind. 'Breathe', I kept telling myself, 'If making cookies using cornflakes is good enough for Ina, it is good enough for you can too'. 

There are two kinds of nuts in this cookie: hazelnuts and pistachios. Roasting the hazelnuts further deepens the chocolate nuttiness taste to them as well as aids in removing their bitter tasting skins. There are also two kinds of chocolate: milk and dark. Use good quality chocolate, the kind you would use for candy-making, the kind that after melted it hardens to a beautiful sheen (in other words, the chocolate chips you use for baking don't necessarily lend themselves to having this cookie set up and look beautiful).

The cornflakes, dried fruits, salt and chopped nuts are mixed together in a large bowl. The melted chocolate is poured over the mixture and gently folded until everything is coated in chocolate. 

For more bite-sized Hazelnut English Chocolate Crisps use either a tablespoon or an small ice cream scoop and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. For larger crisps use two tablespoons and mound them onto the baking sheet.

Allow the crisps to come to room temperature and completely cool until you can easily remove them from the parchment paper before serving.

Waiting for them to harden may be the hardest part of this recipe.

Just like the size you make these crisps does not matter, the dried fruits you use does not matter as well (although I don't think dried apricots would be a good choice). Whether you choose to use a combination of golden raisins, cranberries, dried blueberries, and currants or simply choose one of them (hint: go with cranberries as a first option), these crisps are bound to be delicious. They are crunchy, salty, chocolately, nutty, and a little bit sweet. In other words, they are a cookie having the ability to satisfy almost every possible cookie fantasy. Honestly, as active as imagination operating in my head on  a regular basis, I wasn't even close to predicting how good, um, I mean great, these would be. Nor did I think they would be slightly addictive. And depending on your opinion of a cookie with the ability to become an obsession, this could be the only their only flaw.

The start of the new school year is just around the corner. For those of you with children, these Hazelnut English Chocolate Crisps might turn you into the parent of their fantasies (that is, if you are not that already). But don't let me mislead you into thinking these cookies are for children only. Make them for your partner and well, who knows what fantasies you will fill for them. Or better yet, what fantasy they will turn into a reality for you.

Recipe

Hazelnut English Chocolate Crisps (inspiration from Ina Garten's English Chocolate Crisps from the Make it Ahead Cookbook and Nicolas Berger's Milk Chocolate, Nut and Raisin Clusters shared in Food and Wine, February 2014)

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups corn flakes (recommend Kellogg's)

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, blueberries) or golden raisins or dried cranberries

1/4 cup currants (optional, but they add good flavor)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

7 3/4 ounces milk chocolate

5 3/4 ounces dark chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Place hazelnuts on a small pan and place in oven for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool. Rub hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to remove skins. Coarsely chop.

2. In a large bowl combine cornflakes, chopped hazelnuts, pistachios, dried fruit, currants, and kosher salt. Set aside.

3. Melt chocolate in either the microwave or over a double boiler. Note: If using microwave method, combine 3/4 of the chocolate and microwave at medium-high power in 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted (approximately 2-3 minutes). Stir in remaining chocolate until smooth.

4. Pour melted chocolate over the hazelnut/cornflake mixture. Using a spatula, gently fold until chocolate evenly coats cornflakes, dried fruit and nuts.

5. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, scoop heaping tablespoons of the mixture.

6. Allow the crisps to cool completely. Peel firmed up crisps from the parchment paper and serve. Store crisps in a sealed container at room temperature.
Notes: (1) If you want them to be nut free, increase the amount of cornflakes to 3 cups. (2) You can replaced the combination of dried fruits, with a single dried fruit option. Dried cranberries and/or golden raisins would be two great options.