The December-cold is making me hungry and I feel like indulging in rich foods. I was missing my mom’s deep fried puri baji today morning. But the weighing scale arrow, which is —– always prepared/ eager/ and ready to move towards the right side, makes me rethink. Sometimes I say phrrrrrrr……. to it and just eat. A morning run after the treating time would keep the things/ the arrow in check.

Anyways its Christmas month and this is a baking blog so we are making Christmas Brownie Cookies today. These cookies are festive and are packed with Candied Orange peels, Rum Soaked Raisins and cranberries, walnuts, roasted almonds and a tiny hint of sea salt. This whole lot of Christmas feel in the cookies sounds so exciting.

Just to keep a check on my indulgence, I had all the plans to share it with friends. Share the calories. If any of you who had shared the cookies and calories and is reading this blog, please don’t mind. Remember the brownie cookies were absolutely incredible, so we are still friends and I am sharing more with you week after week.

About the Brownie Cookies- It is a very simple brownie recipe and instead of baking in a brownie container, I baked the batter like cookies on a baking sheet. The recipe is similar to fudge cookie recipe and with all those Christmasy ingredients they turn out super delicious. Cookies will have a soft interior and many contrasting flavours + textures as you bite into the one.

During my last post on Marmalade making.. I happen to dehydrate some of the sugar syrupy orange peels and have added them to this recipe. Candied peels along with sea salt and lots of Chocolate is a mouthwatering combination. I am in love with these orange candied peels, and I promise to share with you how to make these at home. Maybe the next blog.

Ambrosia Delicatessen Candied Orange Peel 250 gms
Ambrosia Delicatessen Candied Lemon Peel 250 gms

In this recipe, there are roasted almonds and walnuts that gives a bite and adds a lot of texture and flavour. The rum soaked raisins and cranberries give a fantastic punch and a Christmasy feel to the brownie cookies.

Let’s get to the recipe and on to the important points first:

1 . As always, it’s baking so measure the ingredient accurately and preheat the oven at least for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Melt the chocolate and butter on a double boiler or in the micro. Just be careful not to burn, keep stirring at regular intervals. It’s a good idea to chop the chocolate into tiny bits because when butter and chocolate are together melted, butter is the first one to melt. And it will take longer if the chocolate is in big chunks.

We are looking for smoother melted heaven.

Hey, use a good quality chocolate, please!

Chocoville Euro Premium Dark Choco, 1kg

3 . The eggs will need a good whisking till they get nice and airy. If the eggs are at room temperature, you can achieve the absolutely gorgeous looking bowl of beaten eggs quickly.

Also, use an electric hand blender or a Kitchenaid for the job, or you will have to exercise arm muscles.

4. When adding the dry ingredients to the wet one, be careful not to overmix. We don’t want all that beaten lightness of eggs to inflate.

5. It is very important to chill the batter before baking, because it will be a little thin batter which is appropriate for baking in a pan, but will not work as cookies.

6. You can either use a ice-cream scooper or a bigger spoon scoop out same size batter on a parchment lined cookie baking tray.

Oddy Uniwraps Baking and Cooking Parchment Paper

It would be great if they all turn out to be of the same size.

7. It is very important to keep distance between two cookies as they spread a lot. Please do line the baking tray with a parchment paper, this way you will have mess-free work done.

Ingredients

400gm of semisweet chocolate chopped

50 gm of semisweet chocolate cut into small cubes

1/4th cup of unsalted butter

300gm of granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4th teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of roasted chopped nuts of your choice

1/2 cup of rum soaked raisins and cranberries

1/4 th cup of candied orange peels chopped

Kenny Delights Soft and Moist Cranberries, 250 g
Bajaj Majesty 1603 TSS Oven Toaster Grill

METHOD

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, the roasted dry fruits  and set aside. Melt the chocolate (400gm) on a double boiler along with the butter. Once smooth set aside to cool completely at room temperature.

In another clean bowl beat the eggs (room temperature ) along with the sugar using a electric hand mixture. Beat until it is pale yellow and thick. Add in the vanilla extract and beat again. Now add the chocolate butter mix which is cool and beat well.

Fold in the dry ingredients to the chocolate egg mix using a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chips + the chopped chocolate pieces + rum soaked raisins, cranberries and candied orange peel. Cover the prepared mix and keep in the fridge till little firm.

Preheat the oven at 325* F (165*C ) and line a baking tray with the parchment paper. Use a ice-cream scoop or a spoon to drop the prepared batter on the baking tray ( same quantity for same size cookies). With a slightly wet finger press down the batter a little. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 300*F (150* C). When baked the top of the cookies will have cracks and will be shiny. It is important not to over bake the cookies.

The cookies will set and will have a soft interior, which will be highly chocolate  and gooey. Let these cool completely on the baking tray.

These Chocolate fudge cookies are best to enjoy with friends and are best partner for lonely late night laptop times.

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