Creamy and crunchy
- July 15, 2008
- Chocolate, Cookies, Tuesdays with Dorie
Stumble it!
My dad has a theory about marriage: that if you can survive being sick, hanging wallpaper, and moving together, you’re good. So far, Jeff and I have survived each of us being sick and adopted a staunch no-wallpaper policy. Tonight, we are loading the truck to start our first move together. He’s painstakingly breaking down all of his office equipment, which he will then arrange in the truck with Tetris-worthy precision. I’m packing up the bathroom, because I’M NOT READY to pack up the kitchen yet.
Towels? Whatever. I need my food processor.
This begs the question, how am I keeping my husband from strangling a bounty such as myself? It’s all about those three little words: homemade chocolate pudding.
I owe it all to Melissa of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen. She picked the pudding as this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, and thanks to her, I have six ramekins of impossibly creamy, rich chocolate pudding to buy Jeff’s good will while I procrastinate. Make that five ramekins. Four? It is good, and those ramekins are small.
What makes Dorie’s chocolate pudding so good? First, you can’t go wrong with any combination of whole milk, sugar, butter, vanilla, and chocolate. Second, you mix the pudding in your food processor, which makes it incredibly smooth. And finally, you chill the pudding for at least four hours before you eat it. Four. Hours. When you take that first bite, you might wonder what all the fuss is about, but this is a dessert that’s meant to be savored. Slow down, and the chocolate will become more pronounced.
After the first two ramekins, Jeff had this idea that the pudding would be even better with something crunchy over the top, so I baked a batch of thin lace cookies and sandwiched them together with melted chocolate. If you’ve never baked lace cookies, let me warn you that the secret ingredient is PROFANITY. You won’t get a decent batch until you’ve cursed. A lot. So, stay very close to the oven, and when you can smell the cookies, PULL THOSE #*%^&*$ OUT!
If we had a little more time at this house, I would make the pudding again and try it as a chocolate pie filling. But it’s time to pack the food processor. And the Kitchen-Aid. And say goodbye to our first home. I’m sure the next one will be filled with even more good times. And absolutely no wallpaper.
*You’ll find Dorie’s chocolate pudding recipe here. For the lace cookies, keep reading.
Lace Cookies
From John Scharffenberger and Robert Steenberg’s The Essence of ChocolateMakes about 20 sandwich cookies
- 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
- 1/3 cup (generous 2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon dark rum
- 2 ounces 82% extra dark chocolate, melted and still warm (but you can use any chocolate you like)
Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, cream, corn syrup, vanilla, and rum. Stir until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
Drop about 3/4 of a teaspoon of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Make the cookies as close in size as possible. Place only 12 cookies on each baking sheet (four rows of three), as they will spread considerably.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating once halfway through the baking. Remove from the oven and let stand on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes. If any of the cookies have run together, cut them apart, then transfer the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.
Choose 2 cookies that are similar in shape. Drizzle the bottom of one cookie with melted chocolate and spread with a small offset spatula. Sandwich with the second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Oh wow! You’ve found the secret! Profanity is what makes a good lace cookie isn’t it? Great work there!
Can I have some of those cookies with my pudding?!?
oh man, that looks so good. almost like brulee! good luck with the move!
LOL at the wallpaper. The only advice my parents ever gave me about marriage was to NEVER wallpaper together. :)
Great concept. I thought about making a little chocolate crinkle to go with mine but didn’t dare turn on my oven.
That cookie looks like it would be great with the pudding. Thanks for the tip on the secret ingredient! ;o) Good luck with your move.
If you can survive a move, you can survive anything…but back to that pudding and those amazing-looking cookies! What a way to procrastinate. And for the record, you are supposed to chill for 4 hours…but 4 minutes is acceptable (in my house anyway).
I love lace cookies, and they sound like a wonderful add. I’m glad the pudding went to a good cause too :)
Wow, those lace cookies look like they’d be good with coffee!
And Master Chow and I also have a strict “no wallpaper” policy. To your dad’s list I would add: traveling/going on vacation together, which everyone should do BEFORE they get married.
Ohhhhhhhhhh wow. Those lace cookies look amazing!!! They are perfect! Are they hard to make? By the sounds of the need for profanity (my specialty), it sounds that way! But you make it look so easy!
you might be a genius with the addition of lace cookies to the pudding. can i come over for some pudding? ;)
I haven’t had lace cookies since I was a kid, those are delicious. What a great looking pudding.
P.S. I love your new header!
As usual, I am laughing and giggling over here at your post…always a fun read. Moving…are you kidding…you are making your entry and MOVING???? Kudos to you. Happy wishes for your new home…and may many wonderful dishes come from that kitchen! Your cookies are a great addition to the pudding…that would go over really big around here with my guys, too…both crunchy and chocolaty. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome job!
I love a girl who procrastinates in the kitchen! Good luck with the move!
Who says baking and cursing like a sailor don’t go hand in hand? Not me!
We solved our wall paper problem :-)
Gorgeous covered pudding!
Oh, now I wish I’d made lace cookies with this! Looks fabulous!
So funny. Those cookies look like the perfect addition to the pudding. Good luck with your move!
I hated moving my kitchen last time we moved… and the very first box I unpacked was the KitchenAid!
Wow. That looks beautiful! I’ve never tried lace cookies before, they sound delicious. Good luck in your new home.
The pudding with the cookie on top looks awesome. If I help you move can I have some?
I dont think I’ve ever had a lace cookie. Blasphemy right? Your pudding looks yum! Great job!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought
Looks great with those cookies! Yum! I understand the hesitating to pack the kitchen!
Ahhh!!! You rule for posting this… i love lace cookies… and i also love cursing ;) Perfect combo! Your pics look delicious!!
awww damn. i think i would be a lace cookie master with the obscenities that spew forth from my lovely lips on a daily basis.
I must try the lace cookies.
rebecca my dear you are a @$%# genius!
Seriously fabulous idea on those cookies!! Yum!
We had the pudding with Dorie’s Nutty Volcanoes (or something like that — I can’t remember the exact name; they’re meringues with almonds and pecans), and it was a great combination. I will definitely try the lace cookies next time — they look great.
OMG, your blog is so cute and you are hilarious! Love it. Your lace cookies look fabulous with the pudding. Too bad they were a &!$@!@ to make! LOL!
Good luck with the move!
MMmmm, those lace cookies look delish with the pudding!
good writeup! Best of luck on your move :)
love the cookie on top! what a great combo. nice job
Chocolate pudding trumps kitchen packing any day. Especially lace cookie topped chocolate pudding. Great job! May you find laughter, love, and lots of good food in your new kitchen.
Your man sounds like mine! Y’all have fun with your move, and make sure to do the traditional take out picnic on the bare floor of the new house. Thank you for the recipe for cookies, it sounds frigging good! Will make sure to cuss at it in a way that would make my sailor Grandad proud (and out of the hearing of my sailor man).
good luck with the move! your pudding looks great and i love your stories with each recipe :)
When in doubt, use profanity. Comes in handy for both kitchen and school projects haha The kitchen is my favorite place as well, so it always gets packed last when going from home to school and vice versa. Glad you could use the pudding as a distraction. And yes, we do need a TwD scholarship program ;)
oh, man-I don’t envy your move. We moved about 9 months ago and I vowed I wouldn’ tdo it agin for five years. Your pudding and cookies look so scrumptious. This would make me love pudding-I need a little crunch.
Thanks for the comment on my blog! I guess we had the same idea when it came to enhancing the pudding. It did need that crunch–and your lace cookies look delicious!
“The secret ingredient is PROFANITY” - that had me laughing out loud. I’ve made a recipe or two where that is the case. =) Good luck with the moving. I’m not sure which I hate more, packing or unpacking.
Whoa! Those cookies were a marvelous idea! They look awesome with that creamy, dreamy pudding too.
I find that a little cursing goes a long way when you’re doing some baking. ;)
great idea on the cookies, it sounds and looks delicious. :)
Good luck with your move…and the lace cookies with the pudding…YUM!!!!!
What an awesome idea! The chocolate drizzled lace cookies look so delicious over the pudding! Congratulations on moving to a new home. Just think. . .a new kitchen to work in. Hhhmm, yes, it may take awhile to get aquainted with all the new places your things will be in. BTW, fab photo too. . .all I can say is YUMMY! =D
Profanity is my secret ingredient for everything–from pudding to cookies to dating to job interviews. Come to think of it, I’m a terrible failure at all of the above.
Thanks for the laughs and the awesome pudding idea. I’ll have to give your cookies a try next time I make some of this pudding or just find some free time to experiment.
cookies would have been perfect, next time (as there will definitely be a next time!)
Your pudding and lace cookies look amazing! I loved reading your post, and your dad’s theory on marriage. We have yet to survive the wallpaper but have made it through sickness (nothing major, thank God) and two cross country moves. Best of luck with your move, can’t wait to see what you create in your new kitchen :)
love those lace cookies with your pudding! what a decadent little dessert!
looks yummy….! i am not a fan of lace cookies but i’ll take that pudding anyday! and who needs towels.
because i’m your friendly neighborhood stalker, i’ve tagged you for a Meme.
check out my blog for the details;)
Wow, those lace cookies look like the perfect topping for the pudding. What a great job you did!I think I can handle profanity.
Good luck on your move!
Wow! Your pudding has been the best looking, by far! It makes me wish we were neighbors, so I could call and ask for a small cup for myself.
just staring at these photos make me gain weight..so sinful and delicious!!
Good luck with your move. The lace cookies look unbelievable! A perfect topping for the pudding.
Lace cookies AND chocolate pudding, very yummy, indeed! And it looks pretty, too.
Oo I love the lace cookies!! so pretty!
That all looks and sounds so amazing!
I loves me some lace cookies. I haven’t thought about them in a while. Now I have a hankering.
Good luck on the move.
Fabulous photos! I made lace cookies as well and thought that they went really well with the pudding
Are you still unpacking???? One whole week without a word from you…hmmmm…should I come over there and HELP??? We need you cooking…we need you writing it up in that very fun way of yours…we need you to get finished unpacking right now!
Hope it is going well and you will be back soon.
Thanks for the tip about making lace cookies! Good luck with the move!
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
hahaha, your writting cracks me up :)
It does look like a delicious pudding, specially with that lace cookies. Lovely pictures
You always know how to make food look spectacular. I have a gift for you on my blog: http://dishingupdelights.blogspot.com/
If we don’t hear from you soon, we are calling the cops. LOL!
Miss you at TWD…hope all is going well.
Those look scrumptious! I’ve been meaning to make chocolate pudding for a while.
I like your dad’s advice. I’m the worst sick person ever and my husband takes wonderful care of me… from a safe distance. My marriage, though, wouldn’t survive baking-while-moving, so kudos to you on that! Haha!