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Serious Cookies: Cocoa Snowflakes

Posted by Gina DePalma, December 4, 2008 at 10:45 AM

Editor's note: I'm thrilled to report that erstwhile Serious Eats Roman bureau chief and Babbo pastry chef Gina DePalma has returned to the Serious Eats orbit. We love Gina because not only is she one of the best pastry chefs on the planet but she is also a truly gifted writer. Welcome back, Gina. We missed you. Oh, yeah, these cookies sound seriously delicious. —Ed Levine

When Ed asked me to contribute some holiday cookie recipes for serious eaters, I instantly thought of something I haven’t so much as glanced at for at least a dozen years—my mother’s time worn recipe box that sits on her kitchen shelf. The irony is that the ignored recipe box exists entirely because of me; I made it for Mom as a Christmas gift when I was about 10 years old.

I don’t recall why I decided that her existing recipe system was flawed, but I do remember asking her to take me to the local five and dime—no questions, please—as I carefully selected the box, the index dividers and a package of colored cards. I spent night after night locked in my room with a sign that said, "Keep OUT!" taped to the door, working my way through Mom's file folder of clippings from newspapers and magazines, typing them onto the cards using a portable manual typewriter, my two index fingers, and the indomitable force of a child's love.

After spending so many years caught up in the hype and frenzy of life as a professional chef, I forgot all about the Christmas of 1977. In reality, I had only made it through about 20 or so recipes before deciding I had sacrificed enough of my precious, pajama-clad TV time. Mom kept up the tradition over the years by making her own cards, using her steady, flourished script. But for me, that recipe file represented something that now seems all the more gigantic: my own participation in the life cycle of my mother’s kitchen.

The battered box crept into my consciousness by becoming part of my everyday environment. I’m living with my mother right now, after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer over the summer. During the long months that have followed my surgery, I was unable to summon the will or the strength to do much reading. But as I've marched through chemotherapy, I found an indescribable comfort in revisiting my past through the pages old cookbooks. I ticked off the endless days of discomfort by thumbing through the stained, dog-eared books that line her bookshelves, as well as forgotten favorites from my own vast collection, only recently unpacked. In the process, I’ve rediscovered so much of what inspired me to become a chef in the first place. Slowly, even tentatively at first, I found that looking backwards is helping me to move forward. The proof positive is that I am here, back in the fold of Serious Eats. Thank you, Ed.

The timing couldn’t be better, because the holidays are the perfect incentive to revive past traditions. The professional pastry chef in me is always trying to figure out how to keep up with what’s new and notable, but this year, I think I am going to remain completely immersed in cozy memories. My holiday cookie plate is going to be filled with some oldies but goodies, and I am starting off with a gem from Evelyn's recipe box, Cocoa Snowflakes.

In the corner, next to the title, my mom wrote the word “good,” and she wasn’t wrong. These are not your standard crinkle cookies. They have a nice shot of hooch in the form of golden rum and a little kick from some grated orange zest. You can use any nut you prefer; I opted for some roughly chopped pistachios, studding the interior with a shot of holiday green. Bake them a few minutes longer for added crispness.

Cocoa Snowflakes

- makes approximately 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies -

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole, shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon golden rum
Grated zest of 1/2 a large orange
1 to 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar for rolling

Procedure

1. Using a sharp knife, coarsely chop the pistachios and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

2. Melt the butter, but don't let it boil, and place it in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the cocoa powder and mix on medium speed to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Beat in the granulated sugar well, then beat in the egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then beat in the vanilla extract, rum and orange zest.

3. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture halfway, then add the pistachios, beating on low speed to combine the ingredients and form a soft dough. Switch to medium speed and beat for about 30 seconds to strengthen the dough and thoroughly incorporate the dry ingredients. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic and wrap to form a neat package. Chill the dough for at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. When you are ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough from the refrigerator to slightly soften it while you preheat the oven to 325°F and position the racks to the center of the oven. Spray two cookie sheets or rimmed sheet pans lightly with non-stick cooking spray and line them with parchment paper. Place the confectioner's sugar in a shallow bowl.

5. Break off small pieces of dough and roll them in the palm of your hands to form 1/2 to 3/4-inch balls. You can dust your hands with a bit of confectioner's sugar if the dough sticks. Roll the balls in the confectioner's sugar to generously coat them. Place the cookies on the prepared pans, spacing them about an inch apart.

6. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for about a minute to let them firm up, and then use a spatula to gently transfer them to rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.

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Tags: chocolate, cookies, desserts, Gina DePalma