Lenore Dale is one of the most upbeat, bright, industrious women I’ve ever met. Her son John was one of Jimmy’s best friends since third grade, so we have many shared memories; one of the worst being losing a third grader on the Disneyland field trip. ( A Dad who spotted him minutes later told little Van to join his group until we all met up at lunch, not considering Lenore and I would spend the next two hours racing from land to land in a complete state of panic.)
We were on vacation two weeks ago when we received the sad news that Lenore’s husband and John’s father Dick Dale had passed away in his sleep. I offered to bring a dessert today to the memorial event, and knowing how she loves chocolate immediately thought of these cookies. They are about the most chocolaty cookie I’ve ever tasted and the touch of instant expresso coffee deepens the rich flavor. Like a brownie (hence the name), but much easier to serve to a crowd. Since we know that “food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate”, I hope that these little balls of chocolate, butter and nuts will convey how much we hold their family in our hearts today.
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. instant coffee, expresso preferred
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a double boiler, melt the first two chocolates with butter, stirring until very smooth.
Sift together flour, baking powder and an eighth teaspoon salt. Set aside. Beat the eggs with sugar, coffee, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in chocolate mixture by hand (or on low speed with a mixer), followed by the flour mixture; just to combine. Do not overmix. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a cookie sheet – ungreased and covered with foil. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Surface of brownies will be dry and shiny when done. Do not overbake.
Note: I melted the chocolate in the microwave at 50 per cent power for about a minute. I baked one batch for 12 minutes and the other for 10, and would recommend the shorter time..they continue cooking a bit after removing from the oven. I used bittersweet chips rather than semi-sweet; they are interchangeable.
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