Valentine Chocolate

In the winter I tend toward familiar, comfortable foods. My great grandmother always had a tin of these iced chocolate cookies (you may remember them from Christmas) on hand when we visited. She was a product of the depression, and the most frugal woman I've ever known. She always gave two crisp dollar bills to each great grand child on birthdays and Christmas. She never owned a car, and walked every place she had to go. On Halloween she would stand on her front porch, wearing the same mask and over coat every year. When she saw trick-or-treaters coming, she would knock on her own front door and say, "Nobody's home" and shrug her shoulders. A pretty awesome Halloween trick, and cheaper than buying candy. 

These cookies always seemed a little indulgent, and not totally in keeping with the little old lady I knew. I've always wondered how my free spirited grandmother could be the product of such a conservative up-bringing. I guess great grandma had a little more rich chocolate in her, than she liked to let on.

Frosted Chocolate Drop Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar in the mixer at medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla, beat until well combined. Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Sift dry ingredients once to infuse them together. Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Add buttermilk and mix until smooth. Mix in walnuts, if using.

Drop onto a lightly greased baking sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

There was no icing recipe attached to the copy of the recipe I have, so I use a modified chocolate ganache. Ganache is my go-to recipe for all things chocolate topped: cupcakes, ice cream, fruit.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1/2 Cup chocolate chips (I used Giradelli 60% Cocoa)
2 Taplespoons butter

Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature.

The sauce will be fairly thick at room temperature (on left), and about as spreadable as peanut butter (Hmmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking). At this point you can either spread it on the cookies, or whip it in the mixer for a few minutes to make is a bit fluffier (on right). The only drawback of the whipped kind is that is gets firm, fast. You may have to frost a few, then whip it a little more. I like it both ways, but I'm showing it whipped here.

Chocolate Ganache Frosted Chocolate Cookies

The walnuts are optional, but if you're serving them to my Grandmother, you'll hear about the omission. I like my chocolate chewy, and walnut free. You can add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients to intensify the rich chocolate flavor.

Allow the cookies to sit in a single layer, at room temperature, until the frosting sets. Then store between layers of waxed paper in an air tight container. They stay fresh for quite a while in the refrigerator, and freeze beautifully. So go ahead, double the recipe.