Double Chocolate Coal Cookies

Do you know what this is?

This is Black Onyx Unsweetened Cocoa Power from Culinary District.

I bought it today at Surfas, a wonderful restaurant supply store in Culver City.  And it makes my life amazing.  For example, observe its effect on these Double Chocolate "Coal" Cookies, the recipe for which I adapted from Peace of Cake.

Take a look at those babies.  Mmm, mm-mm-mmmm.  I TOLD you dark chocolate cocoa powder was important.  So if you want to make these delicious cookies (and why wouldn't you?) just follow along.
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. espresso powder
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. light brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and espresso powder.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute.  Add sugars and beat again, about 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla, then eggs (one at a time, beating for about a minute after each egg).

Mixing at a low speed, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until just incorporated.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  Here's a picture of the sexy, sexy batter:

Mmmmmmmm.  Oh baby.

Ahem.  Drop the batter in tablespoons on a cookie sheet (I don't line or grease mine, but it wouldn't hurt).

There are my tablespoonfuls, and some Bad Romance in the background for good measure.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until gooey on the inside but crunchy around the edges.

And now you have cookies that resemble coal in appearance but not in taste!  The best of both worlds!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffins

Okay first of all, I want some Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder.  Why does it seem not to exist in Los Angeles?  It makes brownie batter look like tar and it is WONDERFUL.  Sadly, I didn’t have any when I made these muffins, but they came out deliciously nevertheless.  They just could’ve been better, is all.

So here are your ingredients.  The recipe is adapted from Inn Cuisine.

2 c. flour

1 c. granulated sugar

6 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I’m telling you, go for the Special Dark!)

4 tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. espresso powder

1 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

2 large eggs

1½ c. milk

2/3 c. canola oil

filling:

12 oz. cream cheese

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, salt and chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside.  Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until fluffy, and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Fold in until incorporated.  Spray or line muffin trays (I made 20 muffins, but depending on how big you make them you could get 18-24).  Fill muffin cups with about a tablespoon of batter.  Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.  Fill the cups the remainder of the way with batter, covering the cream cheese, almost to the tops of the cups.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Now I discovered that the cream cheese starts to cave in after a while, which looks like this:

I'm not sure there's anything we can do about this, but I assure you that they are no less delicious for it.

Also, if you made a filling of peanut butter and white chocolate, this would make a delicious peanut-butter-cup muffin!