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It wasn’t always this
way. In fact, America—as well as much of the rest of the world—was
completely clueless about the charms of chocolate until a few centuries
ago. Even after this now high-profile foodstuff made the world stage
in the 1500s, its amazing properties as a baking and dessert ingredient
remained largely undiscovered for several hundred more years. Chocolate was treasured by Mayan
and, later, Aztec civilizations several thousand years BC; the Aztecs
believed that it was a gift of a benevolent god named Quetzalcoatl.
But this divine gift was little known outside the region until Cortés
returned to Spain from his conquest of Mexico in 1528. It is thought
that he carried back cocoa beans, but most certainly he whetted
appetites with tales of the Aztec emperor Montezuma drinking “chocolatl”
from vessels of gold. Cortés also commented that “A
cup of this precious drink permits man to walk for a whole day without
food.” By the end of the century, the taste of Spanish royals
for the beverage was so well established that Veracruz was shipping
cocoa beans to Seville. For almost 100 years, the Spanish
Court kept the preparation of the enticing libation a secret. It
was finally introduced into Italy, then France in the 1600s. Touted
as a restorative and energy booster, the beverage soon became the
rage with the wealthy. By the 17th and18th century, public chocolate
houses were serving the drink to ordinary menfolk all over Europe
and Britain. (Women had to take their chocolate at home.) The taste for chocolate had
also reached the American Colonies; a Boston apothecary was advertising
chocolate for sale by 1712. The first commercial chocolate factory,
co-owned by a Dr. James Baker—yes, he was the founder of Bakers
Chocolate—began grinding cocoa beans at a mill in Dorchester,
Massachusetts in 1765. It’s not clear exactly
when American cooks realized that chocolate could be appealing in
more than beverages. Mary Randolph included a recipe for chocolate
ice cream in her 1838 work The Virginia Housewife. Not only was
this use of chocolate new in America, but she observed that: “A
vanilla bean boiled with the milk, will improve the [chocolate]
flavor greatly.” This was a novel bit of culinary advice at
the time when vanilla was still even rarer in our cookery than chocolate. Still, with Mrs. Lee’s
introduction of the chocolate cookie and the gradual appearance
of chocolate baked goods in other cookbooks, American home bakers
were off and running on what eventually became a chocolate baking
bonanza. This lead to chocolate cakes in a few more decades, chocolate
brownies by the early 20th century, chocolate chip cookies in the
1930s, and literally countless more favorite chocolate sweet treats
today. Happily, the American hunt for
more creative uses for chocolate in desserts and confections goes
on. Following is my most recent contribution to the cause! Chocolate-Candy Crunch
Cookies (printable
recipe)
These are gratifying, deeply
chocolaty cookies enlivened inside and out with bits of crushed
hard candy. Either red and white peppermint swirl candies or canes,
or red, cherry- or raspberry-flavored hard candies work well. For
Christmas, peppermint candy is the obvious choice. For Valentine’s
Day, go with cherry, raspberry, or other fruit-flavored hard candies
for a festive look and taste. With the peppermint candy, it’s
nice, though not essential, to enhance the dough with a little peppermint
extract. For the fruit-flavored candy, use almond extract instead. Tip: Note that
you’ll need enough candies to yield 1/2 cup of 1/4 inch or
finer pieces. While small bits add a pleasant crunch, larger candy
bits tend to be very hard on the teeth and make the cookies tricky
to eat. Also, keep in mind that the shards used to garnish the cookie
tops go on at the very end of baking so they don’t overheat
and run. And don’t skip the baking parchment; the candy in
the cookies makes them prone to sticking. About 4 ounces broken-up peppermint
candy canes (or substitute peppermint pinwheel candies) or cherry-
or raspberry-flavored hard candies Place a rack in the middle third
of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line several large baking
sheets with baking parchment. Place the unwrapped candies
in a triple thickness of plastic baggies. Close the bags tightly.
Using a kitchen mallet, rolling pin, or back of a heavy spoon, pound
the candy into scant 1/4 inch or finer pieces. Prepare enough to
fill 1/2 cup; set aside. By hand or in a processor, chop the chocolate
or chocolate morsels into 1/8-inch or finer bits; set aside. In a large mixer bowl with the
mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, sugar, and half
the crushed candy pieces until well blended and fluffy, about 2
minutes. Add the egg and yolk, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt,
peppermint or almond extract (if using), and vanilla and chopped
chocolate and continue beating on low, then medium speed until very
well blended, about 1 minute longer. Working on low speed, beat
in half the flour until incorporated Stir in the remaining flour
until thoroughly incorporated. If the dough seems too sticky to
handle, let stand to firm up about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into thirds;
on wax paper shape each portion into a 6-inch, evenly-thick log.
Cut each log into 12 equal 1/2-inch portions. With lightly greased
hands, shape the portions into balls, spacing about 2 inches apart
on baking sheets. With the heel of the hand, pat down the balls
until just flattened. Bake, one sheet at a time, for
8 to 11 minutes, just until the cookies are beginning to feel firm
when pressed at the edges; be very careful not to overbake. Sprinkle
each cookie with a little of the reserved candy bits. Return the
pan to the oven for about 40 to 50 seconds, or until the candy bits
just begin to melt. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let stand
until the cookies are cooled completely. These are best fresh, but
will keep, airtight and at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or
freeze, airtight, for longer storage. Makes 36 2 1/2-inch cookies. |
Good Things Happen When She's in the Kitchen!
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One
of the first receipts for chocolate baked goods I've come upon is
for rich, candy-like, chocolate-almond macaroons in an 1832 cookbook
called The Cook's Own Book, by "A Boston Housekeeper"
named Mrs. N. K. M. Lee. But, unlike Mary Randolph, Mrs. Lee was
no innovator. She copied her recipe word for word from another cookbook
of the era, The Cook's Dictionary and Housekeeper's Directory, by
British author Richard Dolby! (See the sidebar for more on Mrs.
Lee’s “borrowed” recipe.)