Belgian Chocolate Cookies Recipes

HOMEMADE BISCOFF (BELGIAN SPECULOOS COOKIES) RECIPE

Steps:

• While creaming on medium speed, slowly splash in the water a little at a time. Once it disappears into the fluffy butter/sugar mix, reduce speed to low and add the flour all at once. Continue mixing until the dough begins to gather around the paddle.
• Turn the dough onto a clean surface, and knead gently to form a ball. Pat into a rectangular shape, then dust with flour, above and below. Roll to a thickness of 3/16-inch, using a ruler for guidance. Slide an offset spatula beneath the dough to loosen, and brush away the excess flour.
• With a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3/4-inch strips, then cut crossways to form 2-inch rectangles. With the offset spatula, transfer the cutouts and scraps to a parchment-lined half sheet pan, leaving an inch between each piece to account for spread.
• Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if needed to ensure even browning. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheet; the cookies will not crisp until fully cool. Enjoy with coffee, and store leftovers in an airtight container up to 1 month at room temperature; the scraps can be ground to use for crumbs and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored (use high speed on a hand mixer and medium speed on a stand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined. Add the flour and both chocolates, and mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. (Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, form the dough into balls on the baking sheet as instructed below and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Note: Some readers have had issues with the cookies being flat. This can happen as a result of using a "softer" flour. I highly recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour for this recipe -- it's high in protein and gluten, and helps cookies hold their shape.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.

BELGIAN IRON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and liquor (if desired). Blend in.
• Now it gets to be fun. You have to work in all five pounds of flour little by little by hand. It will work in but it takes a while. You'll wind up with a BIG mixing bowl of dough.
• Refrigerate dough overnight.
• Have plenty of people to help with the cooking. Lightly grease and heat the empty cookie iron over a gas burner. Start with a tablespoon and a half of dough rolled into a little "cigar" shape and vary amount to fit the size of your cookie iron. It takes from one to one and a half minutes to cook each cookie - it's a trial and error process at first till you get a handle on the temperature of the gas burner and the heat retaining capabilities of your iron. A properly cooked cookie will be golden and after cooled, crisp.
• This a family holiday tradition for us and we spend a whole day cooking cookies with lots of testing to make sure they're as good as last year's. The cast iron cookie irons work best, but I have seen people make them with the aluminum pizelle "irons". Ask for a krumkokie (croom cockie) iron at a gourmet cooking shop. We put them in tins and store till next Christmas, eating last year's cookies.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE LACE WAFERS

Steps:

• Stir together flour and nuts. In a 1-quart saucepan, stir together next 3 ingredients. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over medium heat. Remove. Stir in flour mixture until well blended.
• Drop by slightly rounded teaspoonfuls in oval shape 3" apart onto foil-lined cookie sheet. Spread evenly with rubber spatula to 1/2" by 1 1/2" oval.
• Bake at 350°F 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on foil on rack. Peel foil from cookies.
• Place cookies, 1 at a time, top side down on cookie sheet. Return to oven 1 to 2 minutes or until soft.
• Roll into cylinder shape starting on long side. Cool on rack.
• Spread 1 end of each cookie with melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to set or eat it as-is.
• May be stored in tightly covered container up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE LACE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in pecans, flour and vanilla. Drop by 1/2 teaspoonfuls 3 in. apart onto foil-lined baking sheets. Bake 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and lacy. Cool completely before carefully removing from foil., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Spread 1 teaspoon melted chocolate on bottoms of half the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until set. Store between pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE COOKIES!!!!!

Steps:

• preheat the oven to 180 degrees/350 f/gas mark 4. grease 1 or 2 baking sheets.
• cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl untill pale and fluffy,then beat in the egg. Stir in the flour,cocoa powder and chocolate chips,mixing to form a dough.
• Roll out the dough on a sheet of non-stick baking paper , then cut the dough into 20 rectangles on prepared baking sheets. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or untill firm. Transfer to a cooling rack.
• spread 2 good spoonfulls of sofened ice cream on a cookie and put another cookie on top and squish them together. do this with every cookie then they are ready to eat. you can wrap them up in foil andstore them in the freezer for 2 weeks at the most.

EMPIRE COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter. Add sugar, creaming well. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 2 inch rounds, and place on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned at edges. Cool thoroughly.
• Spread half of the cookies with jam, and top with remaining cookies.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and enough hot water to make a thin icing. Frost tops of cookies. Top each with a small piece of candied cherry.