Chocolate Almond Puddle Cookies

9 September 2010 - Chocolate Almond Puddle Cookies

Chocolate cravings again! After finishing my rich Chocolate Cake with Caramel Ganache, I am craving for some chocolate love once more. And so, in search for a recipe that looks chocolate-y enough. But this time, I wanted to make something simpler that do not require so many steps. I just want a quick fix to my chocolate addiction!

Saw Patricia's Technicolor Kitchen's yummy Chocolate Pecan Puddle Cookies. Decided to make those but to substitute the nuts using almonds because that was all I had in my cupboard.
Finally decided to use the recipe from 101 Cookbooks but to use almonds in replace of walnuts.

So that was the night I made Chocolate Almond Puddle Cookies!

Boy, it was so good, although chocolate-y sweet. Skip this recipe if you don't have a sweet tooth.

All nicely puffed up and cracked and glossy then matte-looking cookies with plenty of almond chunks.

I halved the recipe because I did not have enough almonds. So I yielded only 12 medium-sized cookies. I spooned the batter using 1 heaped tablespoon so my cookies were medium-sized, though still fairly large.

I finished almost all of them myself. Did not have a chance even to pass it over to my mum's place. It did not survived 2 days in my house.
But I will definitely baking it again because the recipe is so simple and easy to bake. Not much ingredients needed.


Recipe: Chocolate Almond Puddle Cookies (adapted largely from 101 Cookbooks)

3 cups / 11 oz / 310 g almond halves, toasted & cooled
4 cups / 1 lb / 453 g icing sugar

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons / 2 oz / 60 g unsweetened cocoa powder

scant 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon real, good-quality vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 320F / 160C degrees and position racks in the top and bottom third. Line three (preferably rimmed) baking sheets with parchment paper. Or you can bake in batches with fewer pans.

Make sure your walnuts have cooled a bit, then chop coarsely and set aside. Sift together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and sea salt. Stir in the walnuts, then add the egg whites and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Spoon the batter onto the prepared sheets in mounds of about 2 tablespoons each (I used 1 heaped tablespoon) , allowing for PLENTY of room between cookies. These cookies are like reverse Shrinky Dinks - they really expand. Don't try to get more than 6 cookies on each sheet, and try to avoid placing the batter too close to the edge of the pan.

Bake until they puff up. The tops should get glossy, and then crack a bit - about 12 -15 minutes. Have faith, they look sad at first, then really blossom. You may want to rotate the pans top/bottom/back/front.

Slide the cookies still on parchment onto a cooling rack, and let them cool completely. They will keep in an airtight for a couple days.

Makes 18 large cookies.