Murder by Mocha

meat into pieces (discard bones). Set aside the shredded chicken. (If making a day in advance, place in a plastic container and refrigerate.)

Step 2—Cook the bacon and prep the veggies: Take out a separate, large pan, and slowly cook the fat out of the chopped bacon. Do this over low heat, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook only until the fat is rendered; the bacon should not be crispy.

Step 3—Cook the veggies: When the bacon fat is rendered, add the chopped onions, garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeño. Cook slowly over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the peppers soft, for 10–15 minutes.

Step 4—Create a spice mix: Pour the remaining cup of Guinness into a mixing bowl and add the chili powder, oregano, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, and ground almonds. Pour this aromatic mixture into the pan with the bacon and vegetables. Stir well to blend. Using a hand immersion blender, chop and blend the ingredients into a smooth sauce. When well blended, add the chocolate, stirring until melted and velvety smooth.

Step 5—Add the chicken and finish: Add the chicken to the sauce and continuing cooking until thick, for 25–30 minutes. Plate the chicken mole and sprinkle sesame seeds, if using, over the finished dish. Serve hot with plenty of warm flour or corn tortillas for dipping in this amazingly flavorful sauce!

Peanut Butter Surprises ( Peanut Butter Cookies with Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Hearts)

Sergeant Franco rivals Elvis in his love of peanut butter. (This Clare knew from the Five- Borough Bake Sale that took place in Roast Mortem.) With her promo bag of chocolate chips from the ICE show, she decided to create this “surprise” treat for him—a sweet and tender peanut butter cookie with the kind of ooey-gooey chocolate heart that grown men swoon for—and the perfect, home- baked thank-you for body-slamming that scumbag Sun God.

Makes 18–20 big, stuffed cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1¼ cups peanut butter (standard creamy, not sugarless)

1 cup granulated sugar plus ½ cup, for dusting

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips (6–8 ounces)

Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Step 1—Make the dough: Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and vanilla and blend well. Finally, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix only enough until a soft dough forms.

Step 2—Form and stuff: Pinch off generous pieces of dough and roll into big, golf-ball- sized rounds. Cradle the cookie ball in one hand. Use the thumb of your opposite hand to make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie ball. Fill the hole with about a teaspoon of chocolate chips and then seal the chocolate inside the dough ball. Gently roll the balls in white, granulated sugar for a finished look.

Step 3—Freeze: Place the cookie balls on a wax-paper-covered plate in the freezer for 30 minutes. (The wax paper will prevent the dough from adhering to the plate.) Do not skip this freezing step. This is the key to a successful cookie. If you don’t freeze the cookie dough before baking, the cookie may break while baking and the chocolate may ooze out instead of staying in the center of the cookie.

Step 4—Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place chilled cookie balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, keeping the balls a few inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake 20–30 minutes. The cookies are not done until they flatten out, so be patient and wait for this to happen. The chocolate should stay inside. A nice “cover” for a cookie with oozing chocolate is to gently dust with confectioners’ sugar. (Yes, a bit of sweetness and light once again rescues the day—and the cookie.)

Note: Hot cookies are fragile. Allow them to cool before picking them up or they’ll break on you. And allow your baking sheets to cool before putting more dough on them.

“Fudge Factor” Cupcake Tops

“What I can’t swallow is fudging,” Mike told Clare, “as in fudging statistics, fudging results, fudging the truth. Mathematicians call it a fudge factor—putting an extra calculation into an equation just so it will work out as expected . . . It’s what we law- enforcement types call a scam.”

After Clare finally discovered the “fudge factor” in Alicia’s Mocha Magic powder, she contemplated a “fudge factor” goodie, one that was packed with chocolate flavor but without an excessive amount of butter in the ingredient list.

These fudge brownie–like rounds are the result. They’ll delight your taste buds with the sultry flavor and aroma of chocolate, and when frosted, you’ll think you’re eating the top of an old-fashioned fudge cupcake. But here’s the best part—with Clare’s “fudge factor” in place, these treats use far less butter than similar recipes. Can you find the “fudge factor” in Clare’s ingredient list?

Makes about 20 rounds

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cup hot brewed coffee

1 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk)

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

Fast Mocha Frosting (recipe follows)

Step 1—Create the mocha paste: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, chocolate, and coffee. Over low heat, melt everything together into a mocha paste, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. At no time should this liquid boil, or you’ll get a terrible burnt taste to the chocolate. If that happens, discard and begin again. (You can also microwave these ingredients. Use a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst to avoid burning the chocolate.) Set aside to cool.

Step 2—Mix up the dough and chill: Using an electric mixer, beat ricotta cheese and sugars a minute or so. Add in the mocha paste, egg, and vanilla. Blend until smooth. With the mixer set to low, mix in flour, salt, and baking powder. Do not overmix or you’ll produce gluten in the flour, and your rounds will be tough instead of tender. Chill dough at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before baking. You must do this to harden up the dough and also to allow the flavors to develop. (During this hour of chilling, the chocolate will richly penetrate the ricotta cheese).

Step 3—Bake, cool, and frost: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with