I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! It was crazy around our house with a new baby, Christmas shopping, traveling, seeing friends and family, and running errands, but it was fun.
My mom made these chocolate snowballs for Christmas a little over a week ago. Plain butter cookies, espresso, and dark cocoa rolled in unsweetened coconut, make for one delicious chocolate snowball truffle!
The recipe calls for 18 snowballs, but we made them smaller and got 32; thus half the calories! So for those starting on their healthy new year’s resolutions today, you can still eat one a snowball a day, and not jeopardize your diet. 🙂
Credit goes to Johnny Iuzzini, author of the cookbook “Sugar Rush: Master Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Sweet Baking”. He also has a Killer Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, so I’d highly recommend purchasing his latest cookbook.
Enjoy!!
Chocolate Snowballs
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 1 1/2 dozen
Sugar Rush: Master Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Sweet Baking” by Johnny Iuzzini
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated (fine dried flakes) coconut (38 g)
Instructions
Put the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and milk into a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the espresso powder, vanilla, and salt.
Put the crumbs into a medium bowl and pour the warm liquid mixture over them; mix well until crumbs are evenly moistened. Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the mixture out on it in an even, thin layer. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Scoop level tablespoon-sized portions and roll them into balls. Toss them in the coconut, rolling firmly with your hands to adhere the coconut. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 1 week.
I feel like a have a thousand chocolate chip cookies on the blog, and all are noteworthy. So when my mom tried this new chocolate chip cookie recipe, I wasn’t expecting much.
Each cookie is unique in it’s own way. The Neiman’s cookies are great because they are super easy and have espresso powder in them. The chocolate chip dream cookies have instant vanilla pudding mix, and Jolene’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies have everything; oats, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and nuts!
What makes Johnny Iuzzini’s recipe unique you ask? It’s the almond extract. I’ve never had a chocolate chip cookie with anything but plain ole vanilla extract, and I could immediately taste the almond extract, which was delicious. These cookies also have a little bit of cinnamon, which I love in desserts, but it’s not very predominant; so don’t worry. Sea salt is included, which is a perfect combination to the sweet chocolate chunks.
These cookies are also easy to bake, and don’t require refrigeration of the dough. A lot of cookie recipes require refrigeration, which I find is super annoying, even if it makes the cookies taste better. I’m impatient, and don’t like chilling the dough. I want to bake and eat them as fast as I can!!
Who is Johnny Iuzzini? Besides having a really cool name, he is an American pastry chef, television celebrity, and cookbook author, who resides in New York. His latest cookbook, Sugar Rush: Master Tips, Techniques and Recipes for Sweet Baking just came out in September. According to Amazon, it “is a complete baking course in a book with everything a home baker needs to confidently turn out 150+ sweets with sophisticated flavors.” To purchase Iuzzini’s book, visit Amazon HERE. (Note: I actually discovered this cookie recipe via Monique’s lovely food blog, Ambitious Kitchen.)
This isn’t a chocolate chip cookie, but she’s pretty sweet! She says “give me a cookie!” 🙂
Johnny Iuzzini’s Killer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 3 – 4 dozen
Source: adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt
14 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Put the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into a standing mixer bowl and toss with your fingers until the butter is coated. Attach the bowl and paddle to the mixer and beat the butter and sugar on medium-low speed until a thick paste forms with no visible butter lumps.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. With the motor on low speed, add the egg and egg yolks, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon; sprinkle the kosher salt on top. With a mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, stopping frequently to scrape down the bowl. Mix until just combined; removed the bowl from the mixer and fold the chocolate into the dough by hand.
Using a small 1/2 ounce ice cream scoop, scoop level balls of dough and arrange them around 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 12-13 minutes, rotating the pans once, until just set and bottoms are beginning to brown. Cool for 10 minutes on the pans before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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