The chocolate cookies that Ritz-Carlton chef Rob Wilson made for the 2009 Workshop delivered two surprises: tiny nuggets of chopped dark chocolate and little bursts of fleur de sel, a coarse French salt extracted by hand from seawater. The salt, although unexpected, seemed to heighten the chocolate flavor. Chef Wilson used cake flour to make the cookies especially tender. He served them with Crème Fraîche Sorbet (page 186), but vanilla ice cream would complement them as well.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a bowl, combine the cake flour, cocoa, fleur de sel, and baking soda. Whisk to blend.
Step 2
In an electric stand mixer or with a handheld electric beater, cream together the butter, raw sugar, and granulated sugar on medium speed just until smooth. Do not overbeat; the mixture need not be fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dough comes together—it will be crumbly at first—then mix in the chopped chocolate. Divide the dough in half, then shape each half into a round, flattened disk.
Step 3
Working with one disk at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 10-inch round, flouring as little as possible to prevent the dough from sticking. Cut out cookies with a 1 3/4-inch round cutter (or a cutter of another size, if you prefer). You can gather and re-roll the scraps once.
Step 4
Transfer the cookies to baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies until they look dry on top and are dry to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. The cookies will keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
