Recipe: Triple Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookies (using whole wheat pastry flour)

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO BEAN COOKIES

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons ground espresso beans
3/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (do not use Dutch-process)
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups evaporated cane sugar (may substitute 1 1/2 cups sugar plus 1/2 cup dark brown sugar)
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
8 ounces chocolate-covered espresso beans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground espresso beans, salt and cocoa powder in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or hand-held mixer on medium speed for several minutes, until it is fluffy and lightens a bit in color. Add the sugar; beat until the mixture has the consistency of thick frosting. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating well after each addition; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the vanilla extract, then reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three or four increments, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be moist and uniformly brown.

Stop the motor and add the chocolate morsels and chocolate-covered espresso beans, stirring with a spatula until evenly distributed. Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie on the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; leave the dough balls rough and craggy-looking.

Bake for about 10 minutes on the middle rack. It's better to underbake than overbake, these cookies. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2-3 dozen
Source: Washington Post, December 2008