The Tuesdays With Dorie bakers lucked out with two cookie recipes in a row this month. Don’t get me wrong, I do have a lot of fun making (and eating) the fancy desserts, but can never say no to cookies. This week’s concoction is Café Volcano Cookies, which consist of merely five ingredients and are a member of the meringue family. Mine, however, did not puff much at all – oops. I had used the last of my espresso powder making cheesecake the previous week and failed to replenish my supply, so I was happy to see on the Problems & Questions section that cocoa powder was a good substitution (I have pounds of that, thanks to a couple of over-enthusiastic internet purchases). So that is why my cookies look very dark, though admittedly they were also a little bit overdone.
I asked Josh what he thought of them and this was his reply, “they’ll get eaten, but I won’t request them again. The dough to stuff ratio is too low for me.” He hadn’t seen me bake them, so he didn’t realize there was neither flour nor butter in them. I also caught him feeding a piece to Eloise before he remembered they have chocolate, so I guess that’s what he meant by “they’ll get eaten.” I will admit they’ve grown on me a bit, and I definitely like the idea of a dairy and gluten-free cookie. If I ever make them again, I would not toast the walnuts, as I found the flavor overpowered the yummy almonds and chocolate. And though not a huge hit, I would consider making a variation of this recipe again.
This recipe rated a 7 for Deliciousness and a 2 for Effort, giving them an EDR of 3.5. Many thanks to MacDuff of The Lonely Sidecar for an easy yet interesting choice. You can find the recipe here on MacDuff’s site and visit the TWD blogroll to see what the other bakers thought of these cookies.
I like the darker colour on yours. Cocoa appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteThe close up photo is very nice.
Oh! Boy... I hope your Silpat is new, for I could never keep mine this beautiful for long! Argh... I'm almost ashamed now! LOL
ReplyDeleteAnd the cookies you make with it... look fabulous, my dear!
They look nice with the cocoa in them. I agree that these aren't the best cookies ever, but they're tasty and fun.
ReplyDeleteSlipping cookies to the dog? For shame....
ReplyDeleteYeah, I won't be making these again, but I think the cocoa powder gave them a wonderfully appealing color.
Mine just looked sick.
The first one I ate I didn't love- but the second and third had me hooked. Hope the dog liked them!
ReplyDeleteThese weren't my favorite either. I had fun making them, though not something I"ll be repeating...
ReplyDeleteLOL...I love his comment about them getting eaten but not requested again...that is one fine guy to be suppportive but informative at the same time! Yours look nice...will need to try that cocoa powder bit for the guys as they loved these, yep, they did. I have yet to meet a cookie they didn't like.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Matt arrived back from Nationals in time to completely in hale your toffee...he loves that and he says yours is the best...my husband agreed. Any chance that recipe is somewhere here on your blog? Hint, hint. They loved all the things you sent, and so did I, but that toffee was devoured with licking of lips and a big discussion WHO was going to have the last piece. Matt won.
ReplyDeleteThey look lovely - plenty puffed enough. I am going to try cocoa next time - even though the coffee was delicious it left an aftertaste.
ReplyDeleteYour cookies look fabulous! I made my second batch with cocoa powder and think they were better that way.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! I'm jealous that your cookie actually look like cookies :) These were a definite flop for me, but since I don't like nuts they didn't stand much of a chance to start with. I do like the cocoa powder substitution so I may eventually try them that way if I can find someone brave enough to try them.
ReplyDelete@Kayte: I've been meaning to do a Secret Baker post, so I will have the toffee recipe up soon (hopefully tomorrow).
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the toffee. :-)
ReplyDeleteYour cookies looked about as puffed up as anybody's to me. Isn't that just the way they are? What kind of cocoa did you buy?
Margot--your cookies look great! Love that you used the cocoa. You said it perfectly--we had the same sentiments over here: "they'll get eaten, but we won't request them again"! They sure were easy though. Was so nice to have 2 cookie recipes back to back! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDelete@Romaine: I've over-ordered cocoa twice, King Arthur and Valhrona. I'm a sucker for good deals on baking supplies.
ReplyDeleteI laughed when you mentioned your over zealous cocoa purchase...I did the same thing and I have POUNDS of it! I've been so busy with my own baking this month I havent had the time to participate in TWD! But glad I get to see what all of you are doing!
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