This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe from Dorie’s Cookies is Cocoa Cayenne Cookies. Cocoa and CAYENNE – I hear you asking? Yep, hear Dorie out…
At heart, this is a quintessential chocolate shortbread cookie: buttery, flaky and not too sweet… But the cookie’s true nature is salt-and-pepper savory. There’s cayenne pepper in the mix, but it’s a slow reveal; it takes two bites and a few seconds before you sense the heat. And there’s salt: sea salt in the dough and flake salt on the surface. Salt is the flavor booster here. It wakes up the cocoa and cayenne [and] enlivens the richness of the butter.
Indeed, this is a “slow reveal” – you can’t quite put your finger on the flavour of the cayenne but it’s there. Dorie also says she “created these cookies with red wine in mind; they’re also great with sparkling Lambrusco and satisfying with port.” Interestingly we had red Lambrusco in the house the weekend BEFORE I made these but am sure Neil will comment here on this as a pairing! I thought these were OK – honestly, I’d just rather have a regular chocolate cookie (sorry Dorie!).
These cookies were also super soft – not sure if I did something wrong because they *look* like they should be crispy and “snap” but they are melt-in-your-mouth shortbread texture. Wonderfully tasty, just don’t know about the cayenne…
Get the recipe for Cocoa-Cayenne Cookies from Dorie’s Cookies on p 450 of Dorie’s Cookies!
Want more cookie recipes? Buy Dorie’s Cookies on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store geographically closest to you) or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Then join us over on Tuesdays with Dorie and bake your way through the book!
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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Dorie’s Cookies” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.
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As Dorie and Mardi say – a slow reveal. It’s there, but subtle…I’m not sure I could have identified the slight spice/heat.
But I enjoyed them. The Lambrusco I had opened (for a class) was a dry version, so not sure perfect. But perhaps that bottle of Marsala I just opened for Mardi…. 😉
Oh well, they look great and sound intriguing- they will be interesting to make.
i did like these, but i think i’d like a slightly sweeter version more.
Your photo is so nice, Mardi…that pop of red from the straws just makes it all perfectly pretty. Nice job on the cookies. They are chocolate, so I didn’t taste but Mark liked them and could detect just a bit of the cayenne. Not sure if he will request these again, but he did enjoy the first go around.
I don’t think I would make these again but we thought they were intriguing and a nice surprise…but I am with you, probably would rather a chocolate chip cookie haha.
I haven’t made these yet but your comments support what I was thinking. Maybe I will try these without the cayenne.