Cocoa Bean-Pecan Cookies

I'm getting together with some friends a bit later and needed to make something chocolate-y so I decided to try a new cookie. Made with chocolate, pecan and cocoa beans then dipped in chocolate, these cookies are light and have the perfect subtle flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee and vanilla. Not too sweet but just the right balance.

Cocoa beans, also known as cacao nibs, are the roasted, shelled cacao beans broken down into bite-sized pieces. They are the raw material from which all chocolate is made. They have a nutty, coffee-like flavor and are very crunchy.


Cocoa Bean-Pecan Cookies
Adapted from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich
Makes about 48 2" Cookies

1/4 cup pecan halves
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa nibs/beans
1/4 cup finely chopped dark chocolate
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk or dark chocolate, chopped and melted

Preheat oven to 325. Spread pecans on cookie sheet. Toast in oven for 7-8 minutes until fragrant and lightly colored. Let cool, then finely chop in food processor.

Combine the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in medium bowl and beat until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Stir in the pecans, cocoa nibs and chopped chocolate. Add the flour all at once and beat on low speed just until the flour is fully incorporated.

Divide dough in half and form into two flat circles. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.)

Preheat oven to 350. Remove one circle from refrigerator and let sit until soft enough to roll but still firm. Roll the dough out between two pieces of wax paper to 1/4" thickness. Using 2" cookie cutter, cut out cookies. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Re roll dough and cut out more cookies.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown at the edges. Let cool completely on wire rack.

Dip half the cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper to harden.

For best flavor and texture, store cookies in an airtight container for at least 24 hours before serving.

Chocolate "Le Kit Cat" Bar

I recently blogged about one of my favorite cookbooks, Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard. The recipes sound incredible and Friday night I was able to dine at his restaurant Citrus at Social in Hollywood. I was so excited to try his food and as part of dineLA restaurant week a 3-course dinner was $34 plus $15 for wine pairing. My dishes were very good...Goat Cheese Caesar Salad, Arctic Char and the Chocolate Bar. But the best course was dessert! The flavors were reminiscent of Kit Kat Bar combined with Ferrero Rocher chocolate. I remembered that there was a recipe for this in his cookbook and I couldn't wait to make it.



This is a very simple dessert and doesn't require any baking. The bottom layer is peanut butter, milk chocolate and crushed cornflakes or rice crisps. I tried a spoonful of this and wanted to just eat the entire bowl. The milk chocolate added just a bit of sweetness, the peanut butter flavor wasn't overpowering and the rice crisps were the perfect texture. I'm trying to think of other desserts that I can pair with this combination...a chocolate truffle would be wonderful!

The top layer is whipped cream folded into melted dark chocolate. This is layered on top of the peanut butter and chilled for 4 hours.

How does mine compare with what I had at the restaurant? The texture is different but the one I made at home is just perfect! And the best part is I can make it anytime I have a craving!



Le Kit Cat (Adapted from Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard)
Makes approximately 16 bars

Bottom Layer:
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
7 ounces milk chocolate, melted and at body temperature
1 1/4 cups crushed brown rice crisps

Top Layer:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
5 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, melted and at body temperature

Line an 8" square pan with plastic wrap, letting it overhang on all sides.

For the bottom layer, place the peanut butter and oil in mixer (use whisk attachment). Whip on medium speed until combined and light in color, 2-3 minutes. Reduce to low, add the chocolate and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the rice crisps.

Pour into prepared pan, spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

For the top layer, whip the cream (using whisk attachment) until soft peaks form. Place chocolate in a large bowl. Fold half of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then fold in the remaining cream.

Pour mixture over the bottom layer and spread evenly. Bang the pan against the work surface to eliminate air bubbles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

When ready to serve, remove from pan and remove the plastic. Cut into sixteen 4-by-1-inch bars. Cut the bars with warm large knife, clean and dry in between cuts. Dust the tops with cocoa powder and top with chopped hazelnuts.

Chocolate Peppermint Wafer Cookies

These are the most delicious cookies. Chocolate wafer cookies flavored with peppermint extract then dipped in white chocolate and topped with crushed peppermint candies. The taste of Christmas in a cookie!

Chocolate Confections

I was in the mood to make chocolate confections and decided to try some recipes from a new cookbook by pastry chef Francois Payard. A few of the recipes just didn't work (chocolate marshmallows and chocolate popcorn) and I'm not sure why...so I tried a few others and was happy with the results.


Chocolate mendiants are both delicious and easy to make. Use your favorite, good quality chocolate for the best flavor. I had semisweet (Sharffenberger) on hand so that is what I used but you can use bittersweet, milk chocolate or white chocolate as well. You temper the chocolate, spoon it out onto prepared baking sheet and top with assorted items. Let set for an hour then savor the smooth, flavorful chocolate. The mendiants were topped with caramelized walnuts and almonds with fleur de sel. I love fleur de sel with chocolate, such a wonderful combination!


The chocolate popcorn was one of the items that didn't really turn out the way it was supposed to but I tried it anway and the flavor was really good. Cocoa powder and salt mixed into a hot honey syrup then tossed with the popcorn. The syrup didn't end up being a pouring consistency so it clumped on the popcorn instead of coating all the kernels....I will try it again and try to see what went wrong.


One of my favorite chocolate snacks from Trader Joe's are their cocoa almonds. I found a recipe that seemed easy enough so I tried it out. The almonds were coated in a sugar syrup, melted chocolate to coat and tossed with cocoa powder. The concept is good but these were a little too sweet for my palate. Next time I think I will reduce the amount of sugar syrup used and try again. If I can get it right these will be wonderful!


More chocolate confections to come!