Most cookies nowadays, especially those that veer from using primarily refined wheat flour, aren’t what I’d call delicious, even if they do stay within bounds of the myriad of modern eating regimes (…that people talk entirely too much about, imho). Enter the incredible book by San Francisco’s Tartine crew, Tartine No. 3, a baking book that emphasizes the tastes and flavors you can achieve when you use whole grains and flavorful sweeteners.
The Salted Chocolate Rye recipe inspired me to integrate my new favorite baking partners, buckwheat and almond meal, into this chewy, intensely chocolatey cookie. The result is delicious! It’s even gluten free. Gosh, it’s practially even “Paleo” (oops – except for the sugar). Bake on, people!
Ingredients
- 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I enjoy Valrhona 61% "Le Noir" 8.8oz. bar), coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light muscovado sugar (huge fan of India Tree's flavorful sugars)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup almond meal (aka almond flour)
- 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- flaky sea salt, like Maldon or a fleur de sel, for finishing
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate and butter together - I use a metal bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water.
- Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whisk the eggs for a minute, sprinkle in the sugar, then whisk until tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Add the vanilla.
- In another bowl, whisk together the almond meal, buckwheat flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the egg mixture and mix until incorporated. Dough will be loose, don't worry!
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. This is not a traditional cookie dough, so get on the cookie baking right at 30 minutes - not much longer ! There is so much chocolate here, it will harden and make it difficult to form the cookies.
- Roll tablespoonsful of dough and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Press a few flakes of sea salt on top of each cookie and bake 350 degrees F, 8 - 10 minutes. Let cookies cool a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
