How lucky am I that I was asked to review an organic fairtrade chocolate hamper? Isn’t its everyone’s wish that one day they could be a chocolate taster? Did I ever think there would be a time in my life where someone would ask me to eat chocolates and write my thoughts on them? No LOL, but I like it! I like it indeed.
So, what did I get? Well, inside a cute little burlap bag with adorable rope handles, is a selection of chocolate treats. Let’s look shall we? We have Divine chocolate covered mango, Divine chocolate covered Brazil nuts, Divine cocoa powder, a Divine milk chocolate and white chocolate candy bar, Traidcraft double chocolate chip cookies, a dark mint chocolate bar from the Organic Seed & Bean Company, and a chocolate drink stirring stick. Whew. Now I have no excuse to walk down the candy isle(ah, if only that would actually stop me). I am really enjoying eating my way through this “divine” hamper.
Now, I know you are thinking, “hey, where’s mine?”, so not to leave you feeling left out, I have decided to make you something a little chocolatey too. Using the Divine cocoa powder from my hamper, I have decided to make you some chocolate spice cookies. You will really like these ones. They are quite unusual… in a really good way. I know a lot of you are making Christmas cookies galore, so this may be something you might want to consider. The taste of the clove really comes through and makes an excellent compliment to the chocolate. The chocolate flavour is quite present in these cookies (which I insist upon whenever I use chocolate– it is a total peeve of mine when things are only chocolate coloured, but don’t taste like chocolate). It’s sure to impress, and it will definitely be going into my list of keepers!
CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIES
Makes 15 cookies
1/2 cup natural (not Dutched) cocoa powder
2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses (I used dark treacle)
1/4 cup water
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup water
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, combine honey, molasses and water. Mix until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Allow to stand for 1 minute to absorb the liquid, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a generously floured surface, and pat into one large disk. Divide dough into 15 equa sized pieces. With a dry pastry brush, wipe off any excess flour. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone liner, and transfer squares to the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and let sit for 1 minute. Then, lift the parchment (with the cookies on it) and place it on a cooling rack.
While the cookies are still warm, combine confectioners sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl, and stir until smooth to make a glaze. Paint the surface of each cookie; the glaze will soak in. In a minute or two, paint on a second coat of glaze. Allow the cookies to cool completely; they will remain chewy on the inside.
If you have any left over, and you won’t, store in an airtight container.
