December is finally upon us which means holidays, gift-wrapping, long lines, more wrapping, eggnog, swearing at the the goddamn scotch tape dispenser, and did I mention wrapping? In honor of the last month of the year, I went to the last chapter of the cookbook to focus on finishing a few recipes.
There are four cookie recipes left to make, and I picked this month to make the last of them because December is THE time of year that I like to go cookie crazy. It may be because I have to get in all that I can before the New Years resolutions start flying around in my house.
Almost everyone passes around the platter of Italian cookies at Christmas, whether it be at an office party or the family gathering at your house with the 'creepy uncle'. For Babbo, the plate is passed around at the coffee point of the meal as the last little something to nibble on and take home for those that won't commit to dessert. How many restaurants do you go to that give you something like that?
But that's Babbo. That's why they have the Michelin star. It's the attention to those little details with a desire to be better and different than the next guy. And that is what Mario is trying to get across with this cookbook. It's about thinking of those little details and creating something unique for your dinner guests, whether it be an elaborate meal for many or just a quick week-night supper.
I couldn't wait to try these cookies which Mario promises will satisfy my chocolate cravings. I start by creaming some butter and sugar in a mixer.
Next I throw in egg and vanilla extract.
Now it's time to add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Some flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Once fully mixed, I fold in some chopped hazelnuts and bitter-sweet chocolate.
The finished dough gets wrapped in plastic wrap, chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes, and the oven gets pre-heated to 325°
The next step is to shape the cookies. The dough gets divided into four parts and I take 1-inch pieces from each part, roll them into a ball, flatten each ball into a thin disc, then dredge the discs in confectioners sugar, where they are then ready to bake. This process is demonstrated in the picture below.
The cookies are ready to bake for about ten minutes or until they puff slightly and start to crack. Once cooled, they get re-rolled in confectioners sugar.
Wow such amazing flavor for such little work! Mario was right again, these certainly gave me the buzz of chocolate that I needed. My wife didn't care for them but then again she doesn't possess the cult-like devotion to chocolate that I have. There are several other delicious cookies to choose from too, so I'm sure she'll find something to snack on.
I didn't elaborate as much as I normally would in this post because I have three more cookies following this recipe to knock out, so I'll be back again soon with the next batch of cookie goodness. Until next time...
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