These particular morsels contain what I call the magic trio. They have espresso, dark chocolate and a little bit of Kahlua or coffee liqueur. Also, I think the addition of the walnuts is a great choice. The chocolate cookie cup acts as a vessel to hold and support the rich, fudgey filling. This recipe makes about 4 dozen.
Midnight Delights
adapted from Bon Appetit
Ingredients/Cookie Crust
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter cut into cubes
1/4 cup strong espresso coffee (chilled)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Ingredients/Filling
12 oz or 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips (melted)
2 tbs butter (melted)
2 tsp coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua)
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs milk
48 walnut halves( for toppers)
Prepare miniature muffin tins by greasing each cavity. In a medium size bowl, sift the flour, salt and cocoa together. Whisk in the sugar. Then pour into the bowl of a food processor. Toss in the butter cubes and pulse with steel blade till mixture starts to come together. Then add the espresso coffee. Pulse again until the mixture forms a ball of dough.
Sprinkle a flat surface with flour and divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Take one piece and roll it out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Using a 2 1/2 inch cutter, cut the dough into 12 disks. Place each disc in a cavity of the muffin tin, so that each lines the bottom and about 2/3 up the sides of the cavity. Repeat this process for the rest of the 4 tins. Place all 4 tins in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to firm up.
While the tins are in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and start on the filling. In a medium size bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, butter and coffee liqueur. Then mix in the melted chocolate until all is smooth. Using a whisk, blend 2 eggs into the batter. Once completely blended, fold in the walnuts.
Once the chilling time is complete, remove the tins. Fill each cavity with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chocolate batter. Place each tin in oven and bake for 20 minutes. The filling should be puffed and cracked in places when done. Remove pan and lightly press a walnut into the center of each.
Let bites cool in pan for about 15 minutes and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes and Tips:
1. My end result was too much dough. I must confess that the filling was not measured out exactly when filling the cavities and the thickness of the dough was not exact either.
2. If you only have one muffin tin, you can bake in batches. Because of the chilling time, the process will take longer if you prepare and bake 1 dz at a time.
***LAST YEAR: Lemon Butter Fudge**