Rosemary, #Hiddles & Honey Chocolate-Dipped Cookies

March 31, 2014

rosemary, Hiddles & honey dark chocolate-dipped cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine

April, please be candid. March has left me contrary and unreasonable. If you summon my phlegmatic, winter-weary ship to shelter under promises of cherry blossoms and endless sun, I'll turn at the last moment and head out to sea. Again. Hope is held, safely, just beyond reach. I would rather have milky, glaucous blue afternoons that yawn their way into apathetic evenings. I want to keep casting wistful sighs into the stratosphere, waiting for one or five to capture...something. Sweet April, come softly. Stretch yourself out with the measured laziness of an overfed cat and stay as long as you wish.

My untouched second cup of coffee has aged three hours but I'm still feeling the velvet *hum* and purring warmth of its predecessor. I'm also mindlessly enjoying a few enchanted cookie crumbs. Polishing off the final morsel from a batch of cookies is a heady mix of guilt and accomplishment.  

rosemary, Hiddles & honey dark chocolate-dipped cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine

This recipe was initially an innocent, rosemary-infused chocolate chunk cookie. But my mind has been breezy and minxy, so I allowed it to flit back and forth between white and dark chocolate bibelots. Honey, lush and sticky, was the deciding voice of manic reason.

It's an earthy take on last year's ginger & brown butter chocolate chunk cookies. Rosemary and dark chocolate go together beautifully (I have yet to meet any form of food that rosemary cannot charm!). The glaze is a dark chocolate honeyed nectar. It's epic! A half coat of chocolate is seductive and teasing. It leaves you with the slight, yearning ache of something left unfulfilled. Yes, flirt with your cookies, it's perfectly normal. xo

rosemary, Hiddles & honey dark chocolate-dipped cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine
rosemary, Hiddles & honey dark chocolate-dipped cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine

rosemary, Hiddles & honey chocolate-dipped cookies
makes about 30-32 cookies

for the cookies
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 cup granulated sugar
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into large chunks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 egg
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

for the honey-chocolate
8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tablespoon honey

method
In a stand mixer bowl, combine the rosemary and granulated sugar. Use your fingertips to rub the rosemary into the sugar until fragrant and soft green in colour.

Brown the butter: Melt 10 Tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan (set remaining 2 Tablespoons aside). Cook over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until the butter turns brown and develops a rich, nutty aroma - about 5-8 minutes. {Note: The butter will go through a "foamy" stage, once it settles down, keep a close watch on the colour.} Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar. Add flour mixture to the rosemary-infused sugar and whisk to combine. Add the cooled brown butter and remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter. Using the paddle attachment, beat on med-low until you're left with something that resembles clumpy, wet sand. Add the egg and beat on low until just combined. Switch over to a large rubber spatula and stir in the chunks of chocolate. {Note: Don't worry if the dough seems a bit dry.}

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. For each cookie, measure out about 1 rounded Tablespoons (1 oz each). Roll each mound into a ball and press down lightly to create a flat bottom. Once all the dough has been measured out, cover sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 12 hours (sorry!).

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line another cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place cookies on the new sheet (leave about 1-inch of space between each cookie). Bake 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are light golden brown. {Note: Mine were perfect at the 8 minute mark. Don't over-bake.} The cookies might look under cooked but they will firm up beautifully as they cool. Remove sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before taking them to go skinny dipping in chocolate.

Chocolate dip: Prepare a double boiler - Fill a medium saucepan with about 1-inch of water and bring the water to a slow simmer. Find a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the saucepan (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch simmering water). Place chopped chocolate, butter and honey into heatproof bowl and place the bowl over simmering water. Stir until chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from heat and allow the elixir to cool for about 5 minutes.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper nearby (you may reuse the sheet from the oven). Dip each cookie half-way into honeyed chocolate and place them onto parchment paper until the chocolate hardens and sets.

Inhale, enjoy, drink a cold glass of milk. xo

rosemary, Hiddles & honey dark chocolate-dipped cookies | une gamine dans la cuisine

17 comments:

  1. Lovely flavors. Those cookies are fabulous.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Those look like the ultimate cookie, and the decision to dip half in that chocolate and honey mixture was pure genius!

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  3. This sounds divine - and why have I not made those ginger and brown butter chocolate chunk cookies?

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  4. "The glaze is a dark chocolate honeyed nectar" <-- oh, yes please! I'm just about to make my afternoon espresso and I wish I had one of these (or 4!) in front of me :).

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  5. i have never made any dessert with rosemary but now im sold!

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  6. I have not had dinner yet and I just clicked on your post. WOW these look simply divine. I need to make these soon!!!!

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  7. I am so intrigued by this unique flavor combination! The honey chocolate is what really drew me in...

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  8. love these so so so much Valerie! The rosemary was genius, and dipping them in the honey chocolate mixture was simply inspired - I must try these!

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  9. Absolutely gorgeous!! I love the idea of rosemary infused chocolate. Swoon. :-)

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  10. These cookies are absolutely amazing! I love the pop of honey and rosemary! Must make!!!

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  11. and then you dip them in the glaze and I was like
    ::::le sigh::::
    what a wonderful combo; you know how much I love sweet & savory, then dipped in glaze!

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  12. Oh my gosh, these cookies look so...so fantastic. Rosemary and chocolate sound like they go perfectly together -- must try very very soon!

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  13. Lovely! The cookies look and sound delicious.

    I've been a long-time, silent fan of your site, and I just want to say - your work is amazing and so, so gorgeous.

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  14. These are gorgeous. The flavor combo sounds perfect. This is such a poetic post. You are so very talented.

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  15. I tlooks super tasty and this chocolate is perfect. Great picture as well.

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  16. I have a question about the measurements for this recipe: you say 12 tablespoons of butter, and then in parentheses u say 3 sticks. to the best of my knowledge a stick of butter is 8 tablespoons. does this recipe require 12 tablespoons butter, or 24 (3 sticks)? Thanks!

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  17. @Alexander: Ah! Sorry for the confusion, my notes look like chicken scratch most of the time.

    The recipe calls for 12 Tablespoons of butter (1 1/2 sticks).

    Thanks for catching catching that slip! :)

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Thanks for visiting, and for taking the time to read through my ramblings!
If you have a recipe comment or question, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Baking!
♥ Valerie

 

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