Blue Ribbon Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Today I'm sharing our family's favorite chewy chocolate cookies, which means you're only 8 ingredients away from these national cookie contest winners becoming your family's favorite too.  They're so good, every time I share them, I hear, "Oh my, you MUST give me this recipe!"    Let me show you how easy they are to make so you can whip up a batch whenever you want.

Start by creaming unsalted butter and sugar together until light and creamy.  I do this with a BeaterBlade attachment so I don't have to stop and scrape down the bowl of my stand mixer.  Love that thing!  

In a separate bowl, whisk together sifted cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and fine salt.

Be sure to use really high quality dutch-processed cocoa powder for really good flavor.

Add the cocoa mixture to the butter and mix until no signs of dry ingredients remain.  Then add the egg and pure vanilla extract.

Wrap the cookie dough in plastic and chill for a least 1 hour.  This step is really important so don't skip it.  

For professional looking cookies, use a #50 scoop to portion out the cookie dough (it's roughly the size of a tablespoon).  If at any time the cookie dough gets too soft, pop it back in the fridge.

Incidentally, the cookie dough freezes beautifully (as do the baked cookies).  Just be sure to wrap the dough very well in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container - this can be done as a whole batch of dough, or individual balls.  Thaw the wrapped cookie dough in the fridge before unwrapping, rolling, and coating with sugar.  

Roll the cookie dough into balls, then coat with granulated sugar.  Vanilla sugar is nice too.

Space 12 cookies evenly on two silpat lined half sheet pans (bake only one pan at a time).  You can use parchment paper, but I've test both surfaces and silpats work better for these cookies.  

Bake for about 9 or 10 minutes - cool completely.

These cookies are simply spectacular.  Enjoy!

Items needed to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• excellent quality cocoa powder https://amzn.to/35M0qpc

• the best vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• vanilla sugar https://amzn.to/3Jc4bme

• #50 cookie scoop https://amzn.to/3JrSubx

• silat silicone liners https://amzn.to/3HCz035

• professional sheet pans https://amzn.to/34pWo5x

• beaterblade https://amzn.to/34HEVFr

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Blue Ribbon Chewy Chocolate Cookies

makes 24 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons dutch processed cocoa, sifted (use really good quality)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• granulated sugar to roll cookie dough in before baking (or use vanilla sugar)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside until needed.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater or BeaterBlade attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes until it lightens in color.

3. Add egg and pure pure vanilla extract; continue to mix until no traces of egg remain.

4. Turn mixer speed down to low; add cocoa mixture and combine until no traces of dry flour or cocoa remain, scraping bowl if needed.

5. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

6. Preheat oven to 350F, place rack in center of oven, and line 2 half sheet pans with silpat liners.

7. Using a #50 scoop (about 1 tablespoon), roll level scoops of chilled cookie dough in the palm of your hand to form a ball; coat with granulated sugar and space evenly on sheet pan, 12 per pan.

8. Bake for 9-10 minutes; remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake

Do you ever find yourself with an abundant supply of zucchini?  How about summer squash?  Want a great recipe that will help use them up?  Look no further - this CHOCOLATE MOCHA ZUCCHINI CAKE is rich, dark, and delicious.  To gild the lily further, add a silky smooth layer of dark chocolate ganache.  Here's how it's made.

Prepare an aluminum cake pan with Baker's Joy.  I use it for all the cakes I bake.  If you want to turn this cake out of the pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment. For best results, use a professional cake pan.

Note: if you use a glass or ceramic pan, lower the oven temp 25F.

Gather the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, sifted dark cocoa (aka black cocoa), ground cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and fine salt.

The ground cinnamon is optional, but I really like it.  Also, I use the darkest cocoa powder I can find.  It makes the cake extra dark, which is extra irresistible. 

Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

Done; set aside.

Gather the wet ingredients - eggs, oil, vanilla (be sure to use use the good stuff), greek yogurt, and brewed coffee (not pictured).

Put all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together.

Done.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together.

Done.

Last, add the shredded zucchini to the batter.  You can substitute up to half of the zucchini with summer squash (remove seeds before grating).

Stir the zucchini (and summer squash) into the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

insulated cake strips help the cake to bake in an even layer with no hump!

Wrap the pan with moistened insulated baking strips.  You don't have to do this step, but it will help the cake bake into an even layer.   Otherwise, your cake will likely develop a hump in the middle.

Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely.  While the cake cools, prepare the ganache.  When the cake is completely cool, spread the ganache evenly over the cake.  Chill until service.

I like to serve this cake well chilled.  Time to dig in - enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• professional cake pan https://amzn.to/3LjYdSo

• baker’s joy baking spray https://amzn.to/2WKNTsA

• box grater https://amzn.to/2IcPTG2

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/2I7XHIO

• black cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3vTbtFY

• dutch-processed cocoa powder https://amzn.to/3gvtmUH

• insulated baking strips https://amzn.to/2OU9coV

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Chocolate Mocha Zucchini Cake

makes one 9x13-inch cake (15 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted (darkest you can find, like black cocoa)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup greek yogurt

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/4 cup brewed coffee

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups shredded zucchini (or substitute up to half yellow summer squash)

Ganache:

• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

• 8 ounces heavy cream

Directions

To make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, spray metal cake pan with Baker's Joy, and wrap pan with insulated baking strips (optional, but they keep the cake from forming a hump in the middle).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, greek yogurt, oil, coffee, and pre vanilla extract.

4. Pour wet mixture into bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well; add shredded zucchini and stir until combined.

5. Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and cool completely before adding ganache.

To make the ganache:

1. Place chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl; set aside.

2. In a medium heavy-bottom saucepan, heat cream until just before it reaches the boiling point (small bubbles will form around the edges).

3. Remove cream from heat and pour over chocolate.

4. Let the chocolate and cream steep together for 2 minutes, then whisk gently until the two combine and become shiny, dark, and glossy.

5. When cake is completely cool, pour ganache over cake; use an offset spatula to spread evenly.

6. Chill cake until service. Store in an airtight container.