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In the Oven: Icebox Towers

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Make sure to give yourself some time to make these little towers of chocolate, creamy deliciousness since there are several components and steps involved. Or skip all of the work and just make the cookies. Posting date is July 1!

Icebox Towers
 
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Yield: 6 individual cookie towers
Ingredients
For the chocolate cookies
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
For the chocolate pastry cream
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, or dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), melted
For the whipped cream filling
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the chocolate cookies
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar at low speed until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then beat in the cocoa powder and salt. Add the flour and beat until just combined. Form the cookie dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until firm.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  3. On a lightly floured board, roll out each disk of chilled cookie dough to a ½-inch round, ¼ inch thick. Using a 2½-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can; transfer the rounds to a large rimmed baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps, chill briefly, reroll, and cut more rounds. You should have 32 to 34 rounds. You only need 30 rounds for the towers, but a few extras are good to have on hand.
  4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are just set. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the chocolate pastry cream
  1. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl.
  2. In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer and keep warm.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour, and salt until the mixture is pale, about 1 minute. Whisk half of the warm half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture, then pour that mixture into the remaining half-andhalf in the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Strain the pastry cream through the sieve and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Put in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, or until chilled.
Make the whipped cream filling
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
  2. Transfer ¾ cup of the whipped cream to a small bowl. Beat in 3 tablespoons of the chocolate pastry cream to make a light-chocolate cream.
Assemble the icebox towers
  1. Arrange 30 cookies on a work surface. Fill 3 pastry bags fitted with large plain tips with the chocolate pastry cream, the light-chocolate cream, and the whipped cream.
  2. Pipe the chocolate pastry cream onto 12 cookies. Pipe the light-chocolate cream onto 6 cookies. Pipe the whipped cream onto the remaining 12 cookies. Stack the towers: Start with a chocolate pastry cream–topped cookie, then a light-chocolate cream–topped cookie, followed by a whipped cream–topped cookie, another chocolate pastry cream-topped cookie, and finally a whipped cream–topped cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies. Pipe a small dollop of any remaining chocolate pastry cream onto the top of each whipped cream–topped tower. Transfer the cookie towers to a serving platter and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.
Notes
How to store: The towers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

 

In the Oven: Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

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Fire up your ovens, bakers, let’s make some cookies! Posting date is January 28.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies
 
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Yield: 24 cookies
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 16 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) dried cherries
Instructions
  1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.
  2. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds.
  5. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not overmix.
  6. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
  7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  8. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving.
Notes
How to store: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.