#BakeTogether - Spiced Up and Stormy #Irene Double Chocolate Nutella Mousse Cookies

Stop with the labels, we are not jam jars.
~ Caroline Casey

For those who were affected by Hurricane Irene a mere fortnight or so ago, it will be a while before they shall be able to forget the image below and the limitless power of Mother Nature. Despite humankind's incredible intelligence and technological prowess, something like this reminds us all of how helpless we are when pitted against such powerful forces of nature.

Swirly clouds of Hurricane Irene

Source: Wikipedia

And so it came to be that for this month's #BakeTogether with Abby Dodge, we are invited to make cookies to commemorate the visit of tempestuous Irene. Abby herself was affected when the hurricane's perilous path left her area without any power and impacted her community in many other ways. 

Abby being Abby, she created a rather special recipe and called it #Irene Double Chocolate Mousse Cookie. One look at her photos had me drooling...the cookies were loaded, no, overloaded with chocolatey goodness! Of course, we are given leeway to play around with her recipe and make the cookies uniquely ours.

My secret ingredients - all spice and white chocolate chunks

As you can see, my version of the #Irene cookies look similar to Abby's yet they are differences. We have the same 'eye-of-the-storm' chocolate filling in the middle but while Abby's cookies are all chocolate, my cookies are two-toned with a swirly pattern mimicking the hurricane clouds. I also added all-spice powder and substituted Nutella for the bittersweet chocolate in the cookie dough, and these provided deliciously interesting notes to the cookies. 

Instead of drizzling melted white chocolate on top of the baked cookies as per Abby's, I decided to sprinkle little cubes of white chocolate just before the dough went into the oven. The cubes sunk slightly into the dough, but I liked that effect, imagining the white chocolate bits as nations underneath the hurricane as it passed over them. If it's tough being reminded of Irene in this way, just remember, this is just a harmless cookie. And forgive me too, for my imagination does get the better of me sometimes :-\.

Mini-Irenes, waiting for their destruction...by you.

I guess I shouldn't underestimate the human capacity to thrive after aversive, traumatizing events. Look at what happened after 9-11 (gosh, 10 years ago this weekend!), after the global financial crisis, after the tsunamis, the earthquakes, the hurricanes, the fires, the deaths.... life went on. Human resilience is such an amazing thing, and this video I'm about to share with you demonstrates the immense strength and capacity (not to mention dogged stubbornness) of the human spirit. Enjoy Caroline Casey's inspiring talk, "Looking Past Limits".

This post is also linked to Full Plate Thursday.

Spiced Up and Stormy #Irene Double Chocolate Nutella Mousse Cookies
(Adapted from Abby Dodge’s #BakeTogether)
Makes about 3 dozen 2-inch cookies.

Chocolate cookies
1 1/3 cups (170g/6oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon all spice powder**
8 tablespoons (113g/4oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar*
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract*
2 1/2 tablespoons (43g/1 1/2oz) Nutella**
1/4 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted*
50g white chocolate, cut into small, 1/2cm cubes**

* original amounts altered
**New addition

Bittersweet chocolate filling
85g (3oz) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons (57g/2 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

Method:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 or more cookie sheets with parchment or non-stick baking liners.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and all-spice. Whisk until well blended.

3. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until well blended, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the beater.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time mixing until blended after each addition. Add the vanilla along with the last egg. Continue mixing on medium until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture is well blended, about 1 minute. Divide the batter into 2 equal portions.

5. To one portion, add the Nutella and cocoa powder, mix until just blended, about 30 seconds. Leave the second portion plain.

6. Take a teaspoon of each batter and place on the baking sheet, either side by side or on top of each other. Using a toothpick or a skewer, swirl the two doughs together in concentric circles. Arrange cookie dough about 1 1/2 inches apart on the sheets, as they will expand considerably in the oven. Sprinkle about 3 pieces of white chocolate cubes on top of dough, pressing in slightly. Bake for about 11 to 13 minutes.

7. When the cookies are just out from the oven, make a small, deep well in the center of the cookies using the rounded side of a 1/2 teaspoon measure. Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

8. In the meantime, melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave or in a medium melt bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool and slightly thickened.

9. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measure, fill the dent in the cookies with the chocolate filling and serve immediately or cover and keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month before filling and serving.

Desserts, Cookies, Chocolate