These chocolate chip cookies have lots of pizzazz, meaning they hit you with hot chile, just enough to be interesting but not painful.
A single Hatch chile is enough to supply the heat in this recipe. Hatch chiles are raised so they will be mild, medium, hot or extra hot. I used a "medium" chile for the cookies, and that was just right. If you like really wild flavor, try hot or extra hot. But hurry, the Hatch season ends soon.
You'll find delicious ways to use what you buy in Melissa's "Hatch Chile Cookbook" by Sharon Hernandez and Chef Ida Rodriguez. That's where I got the cookie recipe. The only change I made was to doll it up by adding instant coffee powder, chopped walnuts and sweetened dried tart cherries. Yum!
HATCH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Based on a recipe in Melissa's "Hatch Chile Cookbook"
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup sweetened dried tart cherries
1 Hatch chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter, granulated and brown sugars together until smooth. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla.
Stir in the flour, coffee powder, baking soda and salt, then mix in the chocolate chips, walnuts, cherries and the chile.
Drop the dough by large spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets, forming 24 cookies 2 inches apart. You will need 2 baking sheets or else bake the cookies in 2 batches.
Bake the cookies 10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let stand on the baking sheet 5 minutes, then lift onto wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 24 large cookies.
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