Totally Chocolate Cookies (Nigella Lawson)

Can chocolate releases our happy hormones, endorphins?

Having you seen this video showing Nigella Lawson baking these extremely chocolaty cookies for her crying heart-broken friend? I laughed watching this dramatized clip... Ops! Although that I'm not heart-broken, the ironical me keep telling me that I need these soul-healing therapeutic cookies too! I'm thinking that I need these to be extra-happy - LOL!

Judging from Nigella's book, app and the way that she describes this recipe, I reckon this Nigella's totally chocolate cookie recipe has been always one of her famous, popular and favourite recipes so far. And, I reckon that I will be totally insane if I'm not baking these "happy" cookies!!!

In my opinion, you can't add any more chocolate into these super-chocolate-saturated cookies... Imagine, 34 of these cookies were made with 500g (about 1 pound) of dark chocolate and 25g of cocoa powder and there is more than 15g of chocolate in each cookie... Every single bite of these is very intense in its chocolate flavours and can be extremely heavenly for all chocolate lovers.

Before proceeding on to this recipe, I would like highlight something that I have noticed with this recipe.... I have baked this recipe a few times using different brands and types of chocolate and the different batches of cookies can turned out differently!!! As you can see, my baking friend, Jasline (Foodie Baker) at this post has baked a slightly different version too and hers are the chewy kind of cookies. Depending on the brand and type of chocolate used for baking, the cookies can be quite different in their texture, sweetness and flavours. If you are using the exact combination like what I did, these cookies are not too sweet at all. They are neither chewy nor crunchy... having the perfect crisp plus fully loaded with chocolate for our taste.

Attention all cookie lovers and chocoholic! Nigella is right! These totally chocolate cookies can really make you happy!!! Happy? Yes, I am!

My totally chocolate cookies

Check out the amount of chocolate that I used for this bake!

The cocoa powder that I used

Making the cookie batter

Baking the cookies

Drooling?

Here's the recipe mostly adapted from Nigella Quick Collection app or here

Make 34-35 medium size cookies
150g dark chocolate, preferably 70% cocoa 
(I'm using Callebaut callets with 70% cocoa; original recipe uses 125g)
150g plain flour
25g cocoa powder, sieved 
(I'm using Callebaut Dutch-process cocoa powder; original recipe uses 30g)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
125g soft butter
90g light brown sugar
50g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, cold from the fridge
350g semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
 (I'm using Callebaut callets with 54 % cocoa)
 
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 325°F (or 160°C fan forced). Using a microwave, melt dark chocolate (with 70% cocoa).

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add the melted chocolate and mix together.

Beat in the vanilla extract and cold egg, and then mix in the dry ingredients. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.

Place each tablespoonful of batter on a lined baking sheet about 6 cm apart. Do not flatten them. (The original recipe suggests scooping 15 mounds using an ice cream scoop but I prefer my cookies to be smaller as shown in my above picture)

Bake for 15 min until the sides of the cookies are lightly firm to touch. Leave to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 4–5 min, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Happy Baking
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