Who could resist a cookie, or chocolate, or, better yet, the two combined?
Ricardo Cervantes of La Monarca Bakery put these irresistible treats together for his demo Sunday at The Taste 2012 at Paramount Studios.
It was the second day of the event, and the coolest place to be was Hoy Cafe, a breezy room set up by The Taste of México Association for its food demos, which alternated with performances by the Mariachi Los Toros.
Cervantes, president of the association, was the last to appear. He followed Jaime Martín del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu of La Casita Mexicana, who showed how to make mole poblano and agua de coco, and Vicente Del Río of Frida Mexican Cuisine and Casa Azul Cantina, who presented halibut ceviche verde.
"At La Monarca, we try to incorporate chocolate into as many things as possible," Cervantes (above) said as he mixed the dough for his Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies, rolled it out and cut the cookies.
A version of the Mexican polvorón, the cookies are rich with butter and include powdered Mexican chocolate, the kind used to make hot chocolate. After they are baked and cooled, more chocolate is sprinkled on top (above).
Trays of the cookies circulated during the demo, and more were handed out at La Monarca's booth, which was part of a "barrio" of Mexican restaurants clustered beside Hoy Cafe.
MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE COOKIES
La Monarca Bakery
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups cake flour
3/4 cup Mexican chocolate, such as Abuelita, grated into a fine powder
1/3 cup water
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer, using the paddle attachment, about 4 minutes.
Stop the mixer and add the cake flour and chocolate. Beat on low speed until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary to prevent sticking. The mixture will appear like dry grains of sand.
Add the water and continue mixing at low speed until the dough is evenly blended and separates completely from the bowl, about 2 minutes. Stop and scrape the sides as necessary.
Remove the dough from the mixer and place it on a cutting board lightly dusted with cake flour. Roll out 1/4-inch thick. If the dough sticks, dust it with more cake flour.
Cut out the cookies with a 1 1/4-inch round cookie cutter, and place them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
Let the cookies stand at room temperature until cooled, then dust them lightly with additional powdered chocolate.
Makes approximately 7 dozen cookies.
Tip: Cervantes suggests grating the chocolate with a zester.
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