Chocolate Blackout Cookies Recipes

CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Sprinkles:
• Whisk egg white in a medium bowl just to loosen. Add powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. water and whisk until smooth. Mixture should be smooth, satiny, and very thick. If mixture is too thick or gloppy, whisk in another 1/2 tsp. water. Transfer to a disposable pastry bag and snip off end of bag (or use a resealable plastic bag and cut off 1 corner) to make a very small opening.
• Pipe icing in very thin, very straight lines across a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing close together (if icing does not squeeze out of bag easily, snip a slightly larger opening). Keep piping until you've covered the entire sheet of parchment (discard leftover icing or save for another use). Let sit at room temperature until hardened, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day (to speed up drying, you can also bake sprinkles in a 150°F oven for 2-2 1/2 hours). Lift ends of parchment to break sprinkles into various lengths, then gently roll your fingers over top to loosen from parchment paper.
• Cookies:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let water touch bottom of bowl), stirring until melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
• Meanwhile, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, espresso powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until thick and light, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add chocolate mixture; mix just to combine. Turn off mixer. Add dry ingredients and pulse mixer on low until no dry spots remain. If dough is very soft, cover and chill until firm enough to scoop, 10-15 minutes.
• Using a 1 1/2 oz. scoop (or a scant 1/4 cup), portion out dough and roll into balls between your palms (if dough becomes very sticky while rolling, chill for a few minutes). Place balls on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing at least 2" apart; flatten slightly. Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets once, until centers are puffed and edges are just firm,13-18 minutes. Let cookies cool 20 minutes on baking sheets, then peel away parchment and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Icing and assembly:
• Heat chocolate, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let water touch bottom of bowl), stirring until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
• Whisk powdered sugar and vanilla into chocolate mixture, then add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking to incorporate fully after each addition. Whisk until icing looks smooth and glossy.
• Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 Tbsp. icing over each cookie and top with sprinkles.
• Do Ahead
• Sprinkles can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. Cookies can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
• In large bowl of electric mixer, combine espresso powder and water, stirring to dissolve.
• To same bowl add half of cake mix along with butter and egg.
• Mix on medium high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Stir in remaining cake mix and chocolate chunks.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2" apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 9-12 minutes or until edges are set at center when lightly touched.
• Cool one minute on sheets.
• Transfer to cooling racks using thin, flexible spatula.

CHOCOLATE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll., Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a large bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water, meringue powder and cream of tartar; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 1-2 minutes. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture., Using pastry bags and small round tips, decorate cookies as desired. Let stand at room temperature until frosting is dry and firm., Freeze option: Freeze cookies, layered between waxed paper, in freezer containers. To use, thaw before serving.

CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make pudding mix as directed on box, using 1 1/2 cups milk. While pudding is hot, stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips until melted. Cover; refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.
• Place remaining 2 cups chocolate chips in heatproof bowl. In 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream to boiling. Pour over chocolate chips; let stand 1 minute. Stir with whisk until melted and smooth. Let ganache stand at room temperature 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
• Crumble 1 cupcake; set aside for topping. With end of wooden spoon handle, make deep, 3/4-inch-wide indentation in center of top of remaining 23 cupcakes, not quite to bottom. Spoon pudding into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut 1/2-inch tip off corner of bag. Insert tip of bag into opening in each cupcake; squeeze bag to fill opening. Frost cupcakes with ganache; sprinkle with cupcake crumbs. Store loosely covered.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 2 pieces, flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Dough is sticky so be sure to add more flour to the rolling surface as needed. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

SHANA'S BLACKOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water;
• set aside to cool slightly.
• Combine eggs, sugar, oil and extracts in a large bowl; whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate; set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
• Add chocolate mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Cover;
• refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread confectioners' sugar on a plate; set aside.
• Scoop walnut-size balls of dough; roll each in the sugar. Place on a greased or
• parchment-lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
• Bake until edges are firm, about 10
• minutes per batch.
• Remove cookies to a wire rack; cool.
• Note: Chocolate extract is available at shops such as The Spice House and Fox &
• Obel in Chicago.

NO BAKE CHOCOLATE COOKIES II

Steps:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, milk, and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the oats, vanilla, cocoa and coconut. Spoon onto waxed paper and allow to cool for at least an hour. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT CAKE

Steps:

• For the chocolate cake layers: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment and spray with nonstick spray.
• Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed until light in color, about 1 minute.
• Add the eggs, 2 at a time. Mix on medium-high speed after each addition until fully incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, combine the hot water and buttermilk. Add the black cocoa and whisk until smooth.
• Add 1 cup of the cake flour to the mixture in the stand mixer and mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, until the flour is fully incorporated.
• Pour in half of the buttermilk-cocoa mixture, and gently pulse the mixture to incorporate the liquid (or you'll end up splattering it all over your kitchen!). Repeat with 1 more cup of the cake flour and the remaining cocoa mixture. Add the remaining 1 cup cake flour and mix on low speed just until incorporated.
• Pour an equal amount of the batter between the prepared cake pans. (I weigh the pans on a kitchen scale to ensure each one has exactly the same amount.)
• Bake 2 pans on the upper rack and 1 on the lower rack, switching and rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 31 to 33 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the edge of each pan to help release the cake.
• Place the pans in the freezer for about 45 minutes to speed up the cooling. Once the cakes are fully cooled, carefully invert each cake onto a plate and remove the parchment.
• Use a serrated knife to level the top of each cake and place the trimmings in a small bowl. Break up the trimmings into small crumbs with a fork, cover with plastic wrap and reserve to decorate the cake.
• For the chocolate ganache frosting: While the cake layers bake and cool, place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl and set aside.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat just until it begins to bubble. Pour over the chocolate, making sure all the chocolate is submerged. Let sit for about 2 minutes, letting the heat from the cream melt the chocolate.
• Carefully stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until the ganache is silky smooth and all the chocolate is melted. (If any bits of chocolate still aren't melted, microwave the ganache for 30 seconds at a time, until the cream and chocolate are fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• For the chocolate pudding filling: Combine the instant pudding mix and cold milk in a medium bowl. Whisk until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• To assemble the chocolate blackout cake: Add a dab of ganache to a greaseproof cake board to help the first cake layer to adhere. Top with 1 cake layer. Spread an even layer of ganache over the top with an offset spatula. Using a rubber spatula, spread 1/4 of the chocolate pudding over the ganache. Top with the second cake layer and repeat spreading the ganache and pudding. Finally, top with the third cake layer. Reserve the remaining pudding for decorating the cake.
• Cover the top and sides of the cake in a thin coating of ganache, then smooth with a bench scraper. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes, until the ganache is firm to the touch.
• Cover the cake in a second, thicker coating of ganache, then smooth again with a bench scraper. If desired, use an icing comb to create ridges around the sides of the cake.
• Decorate the cake, as desired. I cover the top of the cake with some of the reserved cake crumbs and pudding then place some more crumbs around the base. I also add a ganache drip around the top for fun!