Recipe: Savita Bhat's Chocolate Cardamom Buttons
These cookies are the perfect combination of spice cookie and chocolate indulgence, plus they look beautiful for a party. Savita created them for a cookie competition at the International Culinary Center, where they won both first place and fan favorite awards.
Yield: 50 -2 inch cookies
INGREDIENTS:
7 oz./200 g. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5.3 oz/150 g. butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 whole eggs
5 oz./140 g. molasses
20 g white vinegar
3 c. + 1 tablespoon bread flour
¾ c. cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
Additional raw/ turbinado sugar, for dredging
7 oz/200 g. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
7 oz/200 g. heavy cream
PROCEDURES:
1) Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. When fully melted, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2) In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar till fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3) Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4) Pour in the molasses, vinegar and melted chocolate and mix well to emulsify.
5) Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and spices in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter minute and mix until combined.
6) Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until firm.
7) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8) Scoop the chilled dough into roughly 50-2 teaspoon portions. Roll dough into rounds.
9) Dredge each piece of dough in raw/turbinado sugar and place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2-inches apart. Press down on each cookie to slightly flatten them (using the bottom of a glass or your palm) and create a small, round indent in the center of each cookie with your finger.
10) Bake cookies in the preheated oven until sugar crust cracks on surface and cookies are firm in the middle, about 6-8 minutes.
11) Remove cookies from oven and let cool on the sheet pan.
12) For the ganache: in a small saucepan, bring the cream to a heavy boil. Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour the cream over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes and then gently whisk until combined. Let sit at room temperature until needed.
13) Once the cookies are cooled, place room temperature ganache in a piping bag fitted with a #2 plain tip and pipe small button of ganache in the center of each cookie.
