The Dolce Vita Diaries

This time of year, with the final stretch of Winter delivering the last of the snow and pretending to be snuggled up next to a wood-burning fire is the only way to pull through the day, the humble chocolate cookie makes its appearance in the big glass cookie jar at home. Chocolate cookies can be all sorts of things – crisp, light, decadent, gooey, dark, spicy and so comforting dunked in warm milk or coffee. But this chilli olive oil chocolate crema cookie is almost all of that, in one crumbling bite. Inspired by my favourite new cooking duo discovery – Two Tarts – this little recipe should have you skipping to Spring in no time.

Ingredients for 30 cookies:

Chocolate crema with chilli olive oil – 175g/6oz

Plain flour – 1 1/4 cup

Organic cocoa powder – 1/2 cup

Baking Powder – 2 tsp

Salt, two pinches

Extra virgin olive oil – 10 Tbsp (use Nudo’s chilli oil for extra bite)

Raw brown cane sugar – 1 1/3 cup

Eggs – 2

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Milk – 1/3 cup

Icing sugar, for rolling

First, cream the sugar and olive oil together, then beat in eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, organic cocoa and salt).  Add and blend the chocolate crema into the bowl with creamed sugar. Then add dry ingredients and bit of milk as needed. When this is all combined the dough will be quite sticky, like thick cake batter.  Before making the cookies, chill the dough for about two hours or until hard enough to scoop into balls.

Once the batter is sufficiently chilled, heat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 5/350F. In a larger bowl, place some ice cubes and cold water. Float your mixing bowl in the ice water to keep the dough cool whilst preparing the cookies. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper. Using two teaspoons, scoop out a spoonful of dough, shaping it between the two spoons to form ball (it would be more a dollop, really), then roll the ball into a bowl of icing sugar to coat it well. Line the balls up on the baking sheet, leaving sufficient space for the cookies to spread, and bake at or 12-15 minutes. The shorter the cookies are baked, the more gooey they come out. Enjoy with a little espresso or, if you like dunking, a big glass of milk.