Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, and yesterday's mixture of sun and rain seemed like the perfect day to make cookies. Besides, I had been wanting to make this recipe by friend Rebecca from Displaced Housewife because olive oil in cookies sounded too interesting to pass up.

Let me tell you, these are decadent. Rich, gooey chocolate melts in your mouth even as your taste buds pick up the hint of olive oil making them a most satisfying accompaniment to coffee, ice cream or milk, though they stand perfectly well on their own.

There were plenty of willing takers for these beauties. I packed some on a tray to drop off at The Breath and the Clay, a yearly gathering of artists who come together to build community through a curated gallery, workshops, music and performances. The rest are going into my freezer (my kids say I freeze EVERYthing) for the next Sunday night family dinner where cookies are ALWAYS on the menu.

There are two things which make these cookies turn out so well: the use of bread flour and freezing the cookie dough balls for ten minutes before baking. Also, I used an organic home-milled flour which I pick up at an Amish farm whenever I go back to Ohio. It's all natural with no added chemicals, bleaches and other ingredients which have turned many U.S. flours into unhealthy choices. (There's a link below if you want more information.)

Now, let's get on with Spring and warm weather, shall we?

Recipe...

Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cookies

Recipe by Displaced Housewife

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour *
1 1/2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 1/2 cups dark chocolate, coarsely chopped **
Sea salt flakes for tops (optional)

Process

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position rack in top third of oven. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In an electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream sugars, butter and oil. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until everything is blended. Remove bowl from stand mixer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold until the cookie dough is barely blended. Add the chocolate chunks and fold until just mixed. Gently roll into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and freeze for 10 minutes prior to baking. (This freezing step is important: it keeps cookies from going super flat when baking.)

Bake the cookies in the top third of the oven for about 11 minutes. They will look slightly underdone. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes post baking and them move to a cooling rack to finish cooling down.

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*I used Golden Pastry Flour, an organic unbromated, unbleached flour from Stutzman Farms in Holmes County, Ohio. Since the Stutzmans are Amish, they don't have a personal website, but you can find information here.

** I used Trader Joe's brand, Swiss 72% dark chocolate bars (3 of them)