Murder by Mocha

him for good.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

For cookies:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

¾ cup white granulated sugar plus ½ cup, for dusting

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

For caramel filling:

25 caramels (store-bought is fine)

5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (or half-and-half)

5 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips

Step 1—Create batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside. In a second bowl, combine the butter, ¾ cup sugar, and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat until creamy. Add the egg and continue beating until well mixed. Add dry ingredients and continue beating on low until a smooth batter forms.

Step 2—Chill and prep: Cover the bowl with plastic and chill the dough for about 15 minutes in the refrigerator (no more than 15 minutes). This will make the dough easier to roll. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (Note: Use the parchment paper not to prevent sticking but to ensure bottoms do not burn before cookies are finished baking.)

Step 3—Roll and sugarcoat: Place ½ cup of white granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Using clean fingers, roll the dough into balls of about 1 inch in diameter. Drop the dough balls in the bowl of sugar and lightly coat. Place balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading. Gently press your thumb into each dough ball, making a nice-size indentation. (Take care not to tear the cookie ball or press all the way down to the baking sheet.)

Step 4—Bake and cool: Bake for 15 minutes. Cookies will be fragile until they harden so wait a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. If using parchment paper, simply slide the entire sheet of paper to the rack; otherwise, use a spatula with care.

Step 5—Make caramel filling: As cookies are cooling, melt your caramels, cream (or half-and-half), and chocolate chips in the microwave by heating in 1 minute increments (stirring between each heating session). Or heat the caramels and cream in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. When the caramels have melted, add the chocolcate chips and stir until smooth. Spoon into each cookie’s thumbprint. (Use two teaspoons—one to scoop up the mixture and the other to scrape it off and into the thumbprint.) If the mixture hardens during this process, simply reheat. Warning: Do not taste any of your cookies until the filling has cooled completely. If the caramel is still very hot, it will burn your mouth! Allow to set, and eat with joy (and Franco)!

Tip: When making cookies, always allow your baking sheets to cool before putting more dough on them. A hot baking sheet will cause any cookie to spread immediately and alter its proper baking time. You can speed up the cooling process by running cool water over the back of your baking sheets. (Dry before continuing to use.)

Clare Cosi’s “Pure Ecstasy” Chocolate-Chip Cookies with Beurre Noisette and Homemade Brown Sugar

Beurre noisette (brown butter), two kinds of chocolate chips, a bit of espresso powder, and a step where you essentially create your own brown sugar (using molasses), make Clare Cosi’s gourmet version of the chocolate-chip cookie one to die for. When Detective Mike Quinn first tasted them, he told her they nearly qualified as a drug. With toffee-like notes of buttery caramel, this mouthwatering cookie is in a class by itself. (And when Mike consumes them, he makes an extra-long “man-in-ecstasy” noise—sans little blue pill, too. Not bad!)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned (see end of this recipe)

1¾ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup granulated sugar

5 teaspoons molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap, such as Grandma’s Original)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon espresso powder (to deepen chocolate flavor)

¾ cup good-quality semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup good-quality bittersweet chips (such as Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips)

Step 1—Make brown butter: Create your melted and browned butter (see end of this recipe). Set aside to cool.

Step 2—Mix dry ingredients: In a separate, small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Step 3—Mix wet ingredients and make dough: Into a large mixing bowl, measure out the granulated sugar. Add the molasses and stir well. (You have just made your own light brown sugar.) Add in the eggs, vanilla, espresso powder, and the brown butter that you made in Step 1. Mix with a whisk or fork until well blended. Switch to a spoon or spatula and stir in your dry ingredients from Step 2. Mix only enough until a smooth dough forms. (Do not overmix or you’ll create gluten in the dough, and your cookies will be tough instead of tender.) Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 4—Chill and roll: Cover the mixing bowl of dough with plastic or foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will make the sticky dough easier to handle. (You can also wrap the dough tightly in plastic and chill overnight.) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone sheets, or lightly coat with a nonstick cooking spray. Pinch off pieces of dough and lightly roll into Ping Pong ball– size rounds (about 1½ inches in diameter). Do not overhandle and feel free to use a cookie scoop (or small ice cream scoop) instead. Set the dough balls on a baking sheet, allowing room for spreading. You can either bake the cookies as dough balls or flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand. The flattened cookies will bake up slightly crisper (and flatter, of course!); the dough balls will bake up softer, chewier, and a bit thicker.

Step 5—Bake: Bake for 9–11 minutes. You’re looking for the raw dough to cook completely but without the bottoms scorching. If you find your cookie bottoms browning too much or even burning, try lining your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets, which not only prevent sticking but help cookies bake more evenly. When cookies come out of the oven, use a spatula to carefully transfer them from the hot pan to a cooling rack. Before baking a new batch of cookies, make sure the pan has cooled off or the cookies may spread too much. These cookies are amazing—eat with joy!