This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie was selected by Jessica of My Baking Heart: chocolate spice quickies. They’re chocolate cookies, flavored with both cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate, that also include ground almonds (making the cookies speckled) and a wee bit of cloves. The name is a bit of a misnomer; the cookies aren’t really that quick thanks to a 4-hour refrigeration required between making the dough and baking. That said, the dough does come together in a snap in the food processor, and the cookies only need to bake for 7 minutes, so maybe that’s the “quickie” part Dorie had in mind.
When the cookies first emerge from the oven, they’re a bit soft, but as they cool they become chewy and fairly sturdy. I snagged one from the cooling rack when it was still a tad warm and really enjoyed it. I couldn’t taste the cloves at all, but if I tried really hard, I could smell them in the cookies. I hadn’t expected the almonds to be quite so obvious in the cookies (they were nearly undetectable before baking) so in the hopes of convincing Shane to try them (he’s not a fan of nuts), I sandwiched a few with homemade french vanilla ice cream (post coming soon, best vanilla ice cream EVER). My first few attempts at the ice cream sandwiches were a giant fail, but eventually a couple turned out. Nancy shared a great tip with me, one I’ll definitely employ next time: spread softened ice cream out in an even layer, refreeze and then cut with cookie cutters in the shape of your cookies. Genius!
Shane gave the chocolate spice quickies a big thumbs up, even mentioning he would probably eat them without the ice cream. The more I tried these cookies, the more I liked them – they became very dangerous to have around the house. Many thanks to Jessica for hosting this week! She shared the recipe on her blog, or you can find it on page 140 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.
These look really good! I like the idea of ice cream too. Im glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Your pictures are beautiful and I love the little sandwiches. These look so good, I can’t wait to make them!
Your cookies are so dark and rich-looking! I love they’re working the ice cream sandwich idea. 😀
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t need these to be in an ice cream sandwich to make me want to eat about 12 of them. I like the idea of a hint of cloves with chocolate.
Love the ice cream sandwiches! Beautiful photos (as always), Tracey – thanks for baking along with me this week! 🙂
I love your ice cream sandwiches! That would give these cookies a bit more oomph.
Love these! They sound super tasty 🙂
Wow.. what a great idea. These look smashing Tracey! Perfect for those last days of summer!
Oh I am in love with these! They look so perfect and exactly what I need to finish out these last Summer days. Can’t wait to try them!
I wasn’t sure about these, but they look really tempting as an ice cream sandwich!
Great idea for making ice cream sandwiches. I usually avoid them because of the mess. Great idea.
Have a great day.
Oooh, I love cookies and ice cream…mmmmmmm. And what a fabulous tip with the cookie cutters!
I never thought to combine chocolate and cloves…fascinating trying to visualize what that would taste like with my mind’s tongue. 😀
They look terrific as a little ice cream sandwich! And that vanilla ice cream looks incredible, too.
I’m glad you finally got the ice cream sandwiches to cooperate. =) I wasn’t sure about these cookies (which is why I haven’t made them yet), but I might have to try them!
Great tip to get the ice cream in the shape of your cookie. A chocolate spice cookie sounds delicious and I’m glad to hear Shane will eat them without the ice cream. I’m not above tricking my Hubby into eating something! Looking forward to your vanilla ice cream post.
I brought my cookies to a meeting, and left the extras there, but I kind of missed them the next day. Donor’s remorse! Love your ice cream sandwiches and I’m impressed that you could decipher my tweeted tip – you make it sound coherent!
Your cookies look lovely, particularly in ice cream sandwich form. I can’t wait for your post about french vanilla ice cream!
I cannot wait to try this ice cream sandwich. Look so delicious
This looks really delicious. I’m gonna make one this weekend for my kids.
great ice cream sandwich tip…thanks :).
Those look perfect for ice cream sandwiches…or maybe Nutella?