Chocolate Ganache Puddle Cookies

I feel like I may have been misleading you. Most of my post have been pretty healthy. Don't get me wrong, I love eating healthy. Just not quite as much as I love chocolate. And when it comes to chocolate, these cookies are a 10. It is the perfect combination of chewy chocolate chip cookies and creamy ganache. This recipe turned out way better then I had imagined. I made the cookie dough intending to put the dough into mini muffin cups, modeling them after my favorite peanut butter cup cookies. Then I remembered I threw that mini muffin tin out when I couldn't get it clean after a mini quiche disaster. Sometimes the best recipes come from improvisation though.....

Chocolate Puddle Cookies

For this recipe you can use your favorite chocolate chip cookies recipe, or the one provided below!

1 3/4 cup cake & pastry flour

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks of butter (1 cup)

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

(recipe adapted from New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients until just mixed through, 5-10 seconds. Mix in chocolate chips, and 4 ounces of chopped chocolate chunks. 

Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheets, pressing down slightly in the middle. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven, and using the back of a spoon press a 1 inch indent into center of cookies. Allow to cool slightly before adding ganache. 

Small indents create a perfect holding spot for a delicious chocolate puddle!

Chocolate Ganache

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chips or bakers chocolate)

2 tablespoons butter

Place chocolate and butter in a small metal bowl. In a medium saucepan add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Place metal bowl on top of saucepan, and begin to melt chocolate, stirring occasionally. 

When chocolate is melted and creamy, spoon ganache into shallow indents in cookies. Follow by drizzling ganache over cookies, then top with remaining 2 ounces of chopped chocolate chunks. Let cool (at least a little) before eating!

New York Times Cookies