Chocolate Espresso Cookies & Wine Pairing!
Ever since school has moved from the classroom to our house, Friday has become the day for fresh, homemade chocolate chip cookies. Mainly because my 12-year-old daughter has been working to master the art of chocolate chip cookies and I don’t have to supervise. So far, so good. This week I threw a new recipe at her from The Bakers Table in Santa Ynez Valley – a chocolate espresso cookie recipe. We needed to add a little desert to our food and wine pairing travels through Santa Ynez Valley wine country. (We moved Friday to Wednesday this week because why not?!?)
Making these chocolate espresso cookies is more in-depth than your traditional chocolate chip cookies given you need to melt chocolate in a double boiler, but Princess One mastered it.
Have you visited The Bakers Table in Santa Ynez Valley? What’s your favorite item on the menu. I plan to try the Smoked Salome Plate when I’m able to travel to the Valley again. For now, these rich, fudgy chocolate espresso cookies will feed my need to sip in the Santa Ynez Valley.
Cheers and happy cookie wine pairing!
Suggested Wine Pairing for the Cookies
These chocolate espresso cookies are rich and chocolaty so you will want to pair them with a port or full-bodied red wine such as a Syrah, GSM or Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chef Amy Dixon recommends a local Santa Ynez Valley wine that incorporates both Cabernet Sauvignon and Port.
Bella Cavalli’s “Colt’s First Show” is a full body blend of estate grown fruit of Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Tempranillo (30%), Grenache (30% ) and Port (10%)
According to Dixon, “It has high alcohol, fruity and will stand up to these incredibly rich and fudgy cookies.”
The Baker’s Table
The Baker’s Table is an artisan bakery in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Chef Amy Dixon runs the bakery with a dedication to combining organic, local and fair trade ingredients in all of her menu items. Delicious and nutritious!
Located in the town of Santa Ynez, it’s a perfect spot to grab a picnic lunch for your day of wine tasting – or start your day with a delicious breakfast before you set out to sip.
(While restaurants are closed in the Santa Ynez Valley right now due to You-Know-What, The Bakers Table is open for takeout. So if you’re in the area, go grab that smoked salmon plate and a dozen cookies!)
The Baker’s Table Chocolate Espresso Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (64% cacao)
- 8 ounces unsalted butter
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 tsp coffee extract-you can substitute with instant espresso powder
- 1.5 pounds sugar
- 4 ounces cake flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 pound Semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks (64% cacao)
Instructions
- Melt the chocolates and butter together over a double boiler or bain marie (the 8oz and 20oz chocolates)Whisk together dry ingredients (not the sugar). Set aside.Fit a stand mixer with the whisk attachmentWhisk together the eggs and the sugar. Start on low speed, then gradually go to high speed. Whip until pale yellow and fluffy.With the mixer on low, add melted chocolates. Mix until there are a few streaks of white.Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the dry ingredients until fully combined.Fold in chocolate chips/chunks (the one pound oz chunks)Set batter aside until set. Approximately 2-3 hours. Do not refrigerate batter before scooping.Scoop the batter with a cookie/ice cream scoopBake at 365 for approximately 16 minutes. Keep a close eye-they overbake easily. Pull them out of the oven when they look slightly shiny but set.
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