Peppermint Brownie Cookies

Gluten-free

I am sure that I have said this far too many times, but I will say it again. I love brownies. I do not know if there is one thing about them that I do not like. Well as long as there are no walnuts in said brownie. The dense, moist, fudgy center and crisp top of a brownie is hard to resist. I will not tell you how many I have made in the last 20 years of baking. 

Now that it is the holiday season, I will still be making brownies, but this is prime cookie season. As much as I will try to convince folks, brownies are not the same a cookies. It might sound loopy, but this cookie is my attempt to make a brownie just a wee bit more portable? I know, I said it was loopy. These cookies have the crisp edges of a good cookie or brownie, but the middle is soft, fudgy and all chocolate. They may not be lookers, but they are dang tasty. With a little bit of peppermint extract, these are a great seasonal treat to bring to the office party, friend’s holiday party or just to have while you snuggle up under a fuzzy blanket. 

There are a few key ingredients in these cookies that make the middle perfectly moist. 

Cream Cheese 

It’s not just for your bagel anymore. Cream cheese is a great addition to doughs, You get added tang, as well as much desired fat. For these cookies to be soft as possible, cream cheese helps the butter to make these the most tender, soft brownie center. 

One important thing is making sure that your cream cheese it full fat and at room temperature. If it is cold, the cream cheese will not fully break down and you will end up with chunks of cream cheese. Not horrible, but not awesome. Leave the cream cheese out on the counter for about an hour. 

Dark Chocolate 

When I was learning to cook, I constantly read that when cooking with wine, you want to use one that you’d like to drink. The same goes for the chocolate in a brownie. A brownie is only as good as the chocolate you use. First, use dark chocolate. When I say dark chocolate, I am talking about chocolate that has at least 70% cocoa content and not much added to it. Second, use a chocolate that has flavor aside from bitterness. I love Taza Chocolate because you taste the fruity quality of the chocolate, with only a tinge of bitterness. Not to mention that there is no weird stuff added to it. If you can’t find Taza, then use a good organic dark chocolate. 

Also, I keep my chocolate in the fridge. If chocolate gets over a certain temperature and then cools, it messes with it structure. To keep it at its best, keep it in your fridge. 

Maple Syrup 

I just did a shot of maple syrup; that is how much I love it. Maple syrup as a sweetener does double duty. Not only does it add sweetness, but also moisture and flavor. There are a lot of different varieties of maple syrup in the super market, but when you are picking one, choose dark amber, robust flavor. This means that you get a deeper maple flavor and more concentrated sweetness. 

If you do not have maple syrup, you can use agave nectar or date syrup. Do not substitute honey. 

Milk Powder 

Thank you Christina Tosi for this one. Reading her Momofuku Milk Bar Life cookbook, I saw that she added nonfat dry milk powder to most of her cookie recipes. Naturally, I decided to try it and I loved it. In gluten-free baking it is particularly helpful in adding protein back to the mix. Gluten is a protein that naturally occurs in wheat flour. That protein gives structure as well as toothsomeness to bake goods. By adding milk powder to the gluten-free flour mixture, you get that protein. 

Unlike Tosi, I use a whole fat milk powder. The additional fat helps keep the crumb of these cookie soft. I know that this seems like a lot of fat, but all for the cookie right? My preferred milk powder is Meyenberg Goat Milk Powder, full fat. Goat milk is easier to digest and has more flavor than regular old milk powder. 

Now, let’s get to the cookies. 

Recipe 

53g (2oz) soft cream cheese 

55g (1/4 cup) soft, unsalted butter 

58g (2oz) 70% Taza Baking Chocolate 

45g (about 2 tbsp) olive oil 

90g (1/4 cup) maple syrup 

70g (1/2 cup) coconut sugar 

1 large egg 

1 large egg yolk 

3/4 tsp peppermint extract 

107 (3/4 cup) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour

65g (1/2 cup) dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted 

20g (2 tbsp) nonfat milk powder (optional, but recommended) 

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp sea salt 

In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, milk powder (if using), baking powder and sea salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 1 minute. You just want to start breaking them down. Add the maple syrup and coconut sugar and beat again on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. While the butter bits get whipped, melt the chocolate and olive oil together either in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. 

Once the chocolate is melted, set it aside to cool slightly for 15 minutes. Once it’s lukewarm, add to the sugar-butter mixture. Mix again on medium speed for 4 minutes. Add the egg, yolk and peppermint extract and mix again on medium speed for 3 minutes. 

Take the bowl out of the stand mixer and add the dry ingredients, mixing together with a spatula. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, cover and chill for 1 hour. This makes the dough easier to scoop and gives the flour a chance to absorb some more moisture. I do the dishes, the dough chills, make some tea. 

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop (or larger spoons), portion dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each. Top each with a little flaky sea salt. 

Bake for 11-13 minutes (err on the side of under baking). Let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the baking sheet and putting straight into your mouth. 

These keep best at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week (if you don’t eat them all before then).