Spring Hill Ranchs Chile Double Chocolate Cookies Recipes

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHILE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet (or 2 half-sheets) with parchment paper.
• 2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using a paddle blade, cream the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until they are light and fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing after each addition to make sure they are well combined. Mix in the vanilla.
• 3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chili powder. I use a whisk to make sure they are well mixed.
• 4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not over-beat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
• 5. Using a #50 scoop (1 1/3 Tablespoons), or slightly rounded Tablespoons, drop the dough on your prepared sheet 2" apart. Bake the cookies until they are nicely cracked but still appear a little raw inside, about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a rack to cool completely.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the margarine, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder; mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Roll tablespoonfuls of cookie dough into balls and place them 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE CHILE BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and chile powder on medium-low speed until smooth and well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Increase the speed to medium. With the mixer running, add the eggs, 1 at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed, then add the vanilla extract. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
• Turn the speed to low and, with the mixer running, add the flour mixture a little at a time. Continue mixing until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, scraping the bowl as needed, then add the cashews and chocolate chips all at once. Keep mixing until the cashews and chocolate have integrated and a thick dough has formed.
• Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 12-inch log. (You can use a sheet of wax or parchment paper to help roll the dough evenly, or dust with extra flour if the dough is sticky.) Place both logs on a half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper, then flatten both logs with your palms until about 1-inch thick. Sprinkle each with a little granulated sugar to evenly coat.
• Bake until the logs lose their sheen, 20 to 25 minutes. There should still be some softness in the middle of each log when gently pressed. Be careful not to overbake, as the logs may break when sliced later.
• Turn off the oven, take out the biscotti and let cool on the sheet pan for a few hours. (The longer they rest, the easier they will be to slice without breaking.)
• For the second bake, heat the oven to 300 degrees. (The temperature is lower for gentler, more even baking.)
• Using a serrated knife, slice each log at an angle into ½-inch slices. You may trim and discard the ends or bake them along with the other slices - they taste just as good. Place the slices, cut sides down, on the same parchment-lined half-sheet pan. (You don't need to be careful about spacing them out.)
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the biscotti are no longer soft to the touch. They will harden a little further after cooling. Remove from the oven and cool completely on the pan. The biscotti will keep for 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature.

SPRING HILL RANCH'S CHOCOLATE CHILE CAKE

Steps:

• 1. NOTE: 10 hours of cool-down and chill time are NOT included in the above preparation time
• 2. Adjust an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by cutting a circle of parchment the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. You will be using a bain marie (water bath) in the baking, so put your water on to a boil. To assure no water seeps into your pan, tear off an 18-inch length of heavy duty aluminum foil, center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil all around the sides of the pan.
• 3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the espresso, brown sugar and the cinnamon sticks to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the syrup has thickened a little and has become very fragrant, about 20 minutes. A cube or two at a time, stir in the butter, adding more as it melts. Stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.
• 4. Place the semi-sweet and the unsweetened chocolates in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the hot coffee mixture and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until they are completely blended and the mixture is smooth.
• 5. Scrape the batter into your prepared spring-form pan. Set the pan in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet or roasting pan and set it on the oven rack. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the pan. The cake will bake from the edges inward. If you take a peek at it after about 40 minutes, the outer 1/2-2/3 will appear cooked while the rest will still be soft. Bake it until the center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the pan gently, 50 to 70 minutes.
• 6. Carefully remove the cake from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack to cool it to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the foil and chill the cake in the pan in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan then pop the spring to release the sides. Place a platter on top of the cake and flip it over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. Keep the cake in your refrigerator until about half an hour before serving. Store any that might escape being eaten in the refrigerator.