Ingredients:
(Makes 12)
200g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
1
large egg
275g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
300g dark chocolate
a splash of milk
50g chopped hazelnuts
Method:
Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and creamy. Crack in an egg and mix some more, then add the dry ingredients: self-raising flour (no need to sift),
cocoa powder and chocolate bars broken down into squares. Things might
seem a little dry at this point so add a few drops of milk to combine
the mixture into more of a dough if needed.
Line two trays with baking
paper, scoop the mixture into 12 handfull size balls and place far apart
on the tray. Put in a preheated fan oven at 220°C (200°C for
non-fan) for 10 minutes. They will be very soft still when you remove
them, but leave them to cool for around 30 minutes and they will stiffen up.
Makes 16
Ingredients:
125g currants
2 tbsp brandy
240g plain flour
½ tbsp best-quality cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp each ground cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
150g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely grated
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ tsp grated lemon zest
½ tsp grated orange zest
½ medium free-range egg
1 tbsp diced candied citrus peel
Glaze:
3 tbsp lemon juice
160g icing sugar
Method:
1. Soak the currants in the brandy for 10 minutes. Whisk together the
flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and dark
chocolate.
2. In a separate bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon and orange zest to
combine but don't aerate much, about 1 minute. With the mixer or beater
running, slowly add the egg and mix for about 1 minute. Add the dry
ingredients, followed by the currants and brandy. Mix until everything
comes together.
3. Gently knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until it is
uniform. Divide the dough into 50g chunks and roll each
chunk into a perfectly round ball. Place the balls on 1 or 2 baking
sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2cm
apart, and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bake the cookies for 15
minutes, until the top firms up but the center is still soft. Remove
from the oven. Once the cookies are out of the oven, allow to cool for
only 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack.
5. While the cookies are still warm, whisk together the glaze
ingredients until a thin and smooth icing forms. Pour a tablespoon of
the glaze over each cookie, leaving it to drip and coat the cookie with a
very thin, almost transparent film. You may want to repeat this step
for a thicker glaze. Top each cookie with 3 pieces of candied peel
placed at the center. Leave to set and then serve, or store in an
airtight container for a day or two.
(Courtesy of Ottolenghi)
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