fudge drops
This recipe is for Pam LaRue, the bookkeeper at my school for the first several years I worked there. It was because of her that I even got the job -- my boss thought he had seen enough résumés before Pam caught mine on the top of the fax machine and insisted that he call me in. As fate would have it, he called and I ended up getting the job.
Here I am, five years later (!) and I have to say goodbye to Pam as she and her husband are retiring to North Carolina. Best of luck to you both! Enjoy these treats -- I dedicate them to you :-)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons espresso powder (Medaglia d'Oro brand is a good choice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Melt the chocolate and butter together (double boiler or microwave). Stir until well melted.
In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, baking powder and salt, then stir into melted chocolate, mixing well.
Stir in the flour. Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken; it should be the consistency of thick cake batter.
Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the tops are shiny and cracked. You want them to bake all the way through but just barely; additional baking time will make them cakey and not fudgy.
Remove cookies from oven, slide parchment onto counter (with cookies still attached) and wait for cookies to cool (the cookies come off easier once they're cool). Repeat until all batter is used.
Makes approximately 24 cookies.
