Monday, March 14, 2011

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sourdough Cookies.

I owe you two apologies already.

1.  I didn't taking any "during" shots of making these cookies.  Because a) I couldn't concentrate that hard as I frantically trying to squeeze these in between a million other activities and b) I didn't know until I tasted them if they would be good (ie: worth sharing).

2.  I owe you a second apology because this is the very best photograph I could come up with, after they finished baking:




Now, I realize that these cookies will not be winning any beauty pageants.  And to fellow photographers out there, I ask, how the heck do you take pictures of a dark brown cookie without making it look like a pile of cow poo?




See what I mean?  It looks exactly like a cowpie. 

I thought about putting it on a nice fancy floral napkin, but obviously, I have nothing that fancy around here.

I tried placing it solo on a plate to show off it's color.  This made it even more cow-pie-esck.




I tried putting piling them so they look like a luscious mountain of cocoa.  Instead, they looked like a luscious mountain of manure.




Then I tried to line them up.  So they looked fancy.  But they looked like lined up dung piles.





Please, people, I beg, I plead with you to make these cookies.  While they may not WOW you with their aesthetic beauty, I've truly never had a cookie quite like this.  And I know y'all need some more recipes for your sourdough starter!  Please note, these cookies are not sour at all.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sourdough Cookies

You will need:
 - 1 cup sourdough starter
 - 1 cup peanut butter
 - 1/2 cup honey
 - 1/4 cup sugar (add a wee extra if you want a sweeter cookie)
 - 2 eggs
 - 2 cups whole wheat flour

Step One:  Mix these ingredients together.  Mix 'em, mix 'em.  Then, let them sit for six hours.  This is where you get the goodness from the sourdough breaking down the flour!

Step Two:  After the souring time, add:
 - 1 teaspoon vanilla
 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
 - 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
Mix these ingredients well into the dough.

Step Three:  Drop by the spoonful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  These cookies don't have any oil or butter, so they won't really spread when cooked.  Sprinkle them with a little extra sugar if you like your cookies sweet.  Yum.  Sprinkled sugar.

Step Four:  Baking in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes.





These cookies are truly like none I've ever had.  They are like cocoa peanut butter clouds.  So fluffy, so light, so delicious.  They aren't super sweet or rich, more like a wee little chocolate cake nugget.





I even tried to photograph them with my bread to capture their un-beauty. Please ignore the fact that my loaf of bread has a slice missing from the back.  I was desperately hungry.

All cow-pie images (and/or taste association with that word) aside, please make these delicious cookies.  Not only do they have the benefit of sourdough, but frankly, their gooooooood.

So I'm going to go eat one now.

Make that two.

With a London Fog that I'm going to make Stuart make me.

"Stuart, go make me a London Fog!"

He said no.

At least I still have the cookies.