Dark Chocolate Marzipan Cookies
The kids are back in school! Can all the mom’s say it with me now… Hallelujah! A 2 week winter break is quite a long time! But I find that this phenomenon seems to be a Southern thing. Growing up in NYC, we were always right back to school by January 2nd. None of this 2 week business. I’m exhausted from entertaining family and entertaining the kids…I think I deserve a bit of a treat! The holidays are over, but cookie cravings are never out of season. So to tame those holiday cookie cravings, I’m mixing a bit of a classic with a bit of holiday flair….Dark Chocolate Marzipan Cookies are sure to be a hit in your cookie jar.
You can add as much marzipan as you want, but I thought this was the perfect amount. Just a hint in each bite which mingled perfectly with the dark chocolate chips. It’s like holiday candy in one perfect cookie.
Note, this recipe does require some chilling of the dough, so ration your time wisely. I hate waiting for cookie dough to chill, but from past experience, and from testing out this recipe, I believe that chilling definitely helps give the cookie a greater depth of flavor. It helps the flour absorb all the liquid and really intensifies the Taste. Of course, if you just want your cookies right now, you can bake these right away. Nothing horrible will happen, the cookies won’t turn out disgusting. It just won’t have that same oomph that a chilled cookie would. As you can see they all look relatively similar once baked, but its all about flavor people. So after all that trouble, isn’t it worth an hour or two or chilling? No? Yes? I think yes….
There is one more trick to these cookies. I found that no matter if I baked them right away or after chilling, the dome that is formed from the cookie scoop doesn’t really flatten out, leaving you with a ice cream scoop shaped cookie. It’s cute, but not the cookie shape that I like eating. So we can correct this by flattening the dough balls once they come out of the refrigerator with the heel of your hand. It creates a very even shape to the cookies and helps them cook more evenly!
These cookies were a big hit with my pretty picky family of testers. They cleared out this cookie jar in about 2 days. Try a batch… trust me… you won’t want to go back to a regular chocolate chip again!!
Dark Chocolate Marzipan Cookies
Yields 24 cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter, very soft (If taking butter straight from the fridge, place in the microwave and heat in 10 second intervals until it gets very soft)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard Extra Dark Chips)
1/2 cup Chopped dark Chocolate (I used Ghiridelli 70% baking bar)
1/2 cup chopped marzipan
Maldon sea salt to top, optional
Method
Note: This dough requires chilling.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Add granulated and brown sugars and mix on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until combined.
Mix in baking soda and salt, then slowly mix in flour and mix just until the batter is smooth and comes together. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl during mixing.
Slowly mix in chopped chocolate, chips and marzipan pieces.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tbsp) Scoop balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Spacing doesn’t matter because you will be chilling the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1- 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a second cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Remove the chilled cookie dough balls from the refrigerator and space them 2-inches apart on the cookie sheets. Using the heel of your hand press down on the dough balls so that they are a bit flattened and that there is not a round dome.
Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden and the tops are no longer glossy. Sprinkle with sea salt and Let cool on the cookie sheets at least 10 minutes before removing.