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Have you ever had one of those weeks? You know where the stress level is way up there, nothing comes together the way it should and all you want to do is crawl in bed and hide under the covers? Last week was one of the worst I’ve had in a long time. Working is not always fun, but I am grateful to have a good job.
Naturally after a week like that I looked forward to the weekend. I would get up early and spend the day baking, creating and taking pictures all while listening to Pandora. All would be right with the world once again. Yup, not so much. Apparently I had some sort of cloud hanging over my head and it followed me in everything I tried to do. I made the worst batch of macarons … ever. No feet, cracked tops, hollow middles. It was a cloudy day so I blamed the weather and egg whites that didn’t age long enough. I decided to try again, and again I threw a batch of cookies in the trash. I had a bunch of left over egg yolks so I decided to make ice cream. Certainly I could make an easy ice cream. Would you believe it would not freeze? Seriously – who makes ice cream that won’t freeze? I was cursed.
Did you see the movie Julie & Julia? I love the scene where Julia Child comes home from culinary school and practices chopping onions because she hated to give up. That scene came to mind as I gazed at the semi-soft (milkshake) ice cream. Failure is not an option – something will come out of my kitchen this weekend that is both baked and delicious!
Thank heavens for these one bowl, simple, slice and bake cookies. I needed these to work – and I needed it badly! All I can say if thank heavens I had all the ingredients on hand. I think I would have cried or thrown a fit or something.
But they turned our terrific and the happy taste testers said these are great especially with the milky coffee flavored semi-fro yo ice cream. Coffee ice cream – cocoa-espresso cookies – a delicious combination!
Cookies and milk – I feel so much better now.
These cookies must have healing magical powers because they worked for me! I can face the week ahead feeling confident it will get better. And next weekend I’ll try making those silly macarons again. I refuse to give up!
Cocoa-Espresso-Brazil Nut Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Yield: 24 Cookies
Course: Cookie, Dessert
One bowl, simple, slice and bake cookies.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee granules
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup finely ground Brazil nuts
- 1 cup chopped Brazil nuts
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl beat the butter on high for 30 seconds.
- Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Set the mixer to low and add the flour, cocoa powder, espresso granules, and salt. Mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add the ½ cup of finely ground Brazil nuts and mix just until blended.
- Spread the remaining 1 cup of chopped Brazil nuts on a large piece of plastic wrap or wax paper, in an 8 inch long strip. Shape the dough into an 8-inch long log and roll in the nuts to coat. Wrap the log in the plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Cut the log of cookie dough into ¼ inch slices. Place the sliced about 1 inch apart on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- (Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens – Chocolate – Rich, Dark & Decadent)
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 187IU | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
I hope you have a great week – I’m going to try! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
scrambledhenfruit
I hope next week will be better for you! These cookies would make my day better, for sure. 🙂
Sue/the view from great island
This is such an unusual combination, Tricia, I can't wait to try them. How have I avoided Brazil Nuts for so long??
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
When I was learning how to make macarons I swear I ate 3 batches with a spoon. 🙂 Great post and I'm sorry you had a tough week but hey, you got cookies!
Pam
Yes, I've wanted to crawl under the covers just because of the weather here. And that was a great scene from J&J! Your cookies couldn't help but make anyone feel better. Here's hoping your week is getting better and that the weekend is filled with sunshine and good things for you !
Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate
Aren't slice and bake cookies awesome? Especially when they contain chocolate!
Kitchen Belleicious
They look like the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate. I love the nuts lining the outside So beautiful and delicious
Angie Schneider
We LOLed at the onion-chopping scene too!<br />These cookies sound really easy to make and delicious too!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
I've had days like that. I think it is almost like you've lost the rythm! In any case, I'd be happy to have days like that, if I ended up with these! Oh my, my. These look delicious!
Chris Scheuer
Tricia, you and I must have caught the same bug last week! I'm sorry you had a tough week but I would say these beautiful cookies make up for anything that went in that trash can. They looks simple but spectacular, they almost look like fudge, I was fooled for just a minute. I think the failures make the successes so much sweeter although I must say you have many more successes than failures,
Monica
These cookies look amazing! I'm so glad it worked out for you in the end in such a beautiful (yet simple) way. I know just how to you feel. A few kitchen failures (not to mention other stresses) and you really need something relatively easy that works so you can feel good again! I love the use of Brazilian nuts too…a nice change of pace.
Anna and Liz Recipes
LOVE these Cookies!! Great recipe, Brazilian nuts are our favorite and when added with dark, rich chocolate is a perfect combination! Tricia don't worry, we've all had one of those cloudy days, and I have had a few myself on different occasions. You're still our favorite baker-foodie of all!! xxoo
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Oh, Tricia. I'm so sorry your troubles continued into the weekend! But, I have to say that drinkable ice cream treat along with those amazing looking and sounding cookies… well, that wasn't a bad thing at all!! I hope your week is WONDERFUL and I know you'll ace those silly macaroons next try! blessings and hugs ~ tanna