“Hope” is the Thing with Feathers Chocolate
That perches ‘tween the teeth
and hurling down one’s gullet,
inspires the soul beneath,
And sweetest in the home is made;
And sore must be the soul
keeping it at bay
when 1/4 teaspoon salt + 1 1/2 cups flour + 3/4 cups cocoa powder
need whisking in a bowl,
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter need mixing with the goal of becoming smooth, plus 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract beaten into the electric mixer bowl,
plus 1 cup sugar added in three additions and 1 large egg, whole,
beaten until blended then fold
in the flower mixture gradually (don’t overmix, dough will be sticky) and roll
dough into two discs, between sheets of plastic, keep cold
in fridge for a few hours then preheat oven to 350, line baking sheets with parchment and re-roll
dough to 1/4 inch thickness, cut cookies with cookie cutters, bake about 15 minutes, dole
out onto cooling racks, melt 6 oz of bittersweet/semisweet chocolate in bowl, cool slightly, dip fork into melted
chocolate and wave back and forth over cookies, that’s all.
Chocolate can be tricky, whether tartlet, sherbet, nougat
But this humble, girl scout wafer, in its minty purity
didn’t ask a crumb of me —
this was chocolate at its finest; I ate the crumbs with glee.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit Desserts.
