Cooking Through "The Baker's Man": Mudslide Cookies

 

We like to describe situations in life that are less than stellar using colorful imagery, similes, metaphors, idioms, etc. because saying, “This sucks,” isn’t always the classiest choice.

We go from the frying pan into the fire. We stand on sinking sands. We leap from sinking ships. We see a light at the end of a tunnel only to find out it’s an oncoming train. We watch life go downhill from here. We are up that creek without a paddle. We bark up the wrong trees, beat dead horses, and open cans of worms.

In Chapter 4: Mudslide Cookies, Anna finds that the foundation of her life has begun slip sliding away. She feels out of control as she loses her hold on everything she has clutched so tightly in her hands.

Anna tries to decide if letting go of someone and welcoming in a new friend is worth the risk. At the moment, the answer is as clear as mud.

Mudslide Cookies

Yields: 3 dozen

Difficulty Level: Easy Peasy

Ingredients

2 c + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking soda

¼ c dark cocoa powder

3 tbsp instant coffee powder (I used instant espresso powder)

¼ tsp sea salt

1 stick (½ cup) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 10-15 minutes

1 c brown sugar

½ c sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼ c coffee liqueur + 1 tsp (Godiva, Kahlua, etc. [I used Godiva])

1 c chocolate chunks

How to Make

1. Mix the flour, cocoa, coffee powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Stream in coffee liqueur and mix. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms. (Note: The dough is crumbly. If you feel you must add more liquid, add another tsp of coffee liquor.
3. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
4. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
6. Remove dough from the fridge and roll into golf ball-size balls. Set on a non-stick baking sheet with 2 inches between each.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and the middles are still soft. The centers should be puffy. Do not over bake.

The Baker's Man can be purchased in paperback or for the Kindle from Amazon and for the NOOK through Barnes & Noble.

Chapter 1: Peanut Brittle
Chapter 2: Rum Cake
Chapter 3: Morning Glory Muffins