Chocolate-Espresso Wedges

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This article was published 09/12/2014 (4313 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This is a very grown-up take on chocolate cookies, with intense mocha flavour topped with a rich bittersweet ganache.

Chocolate-Espresso Wedges

375 ml (11/2 cups) all-purpose flour
125 ml (1/2 cup) cocoa
10 ml (2 tsp) instant espresso powder (not granules; see notes)
2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
250 ml (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
250 ml (1 cup) golden brown sugar, packed

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
125 ml (1/2 cup) whipping cream
225 g (8 oz) bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped quite fine

Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F). Butter a 25-cm (10-inch) fluted tart pan with removable bottom. In medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. In large bowl using electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add dry ingredients and beat just until dough clumps together. Press dough evenly into prepared tart pan. Bake until firm at the edges but still slightly soft in centre, about 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then, using a sharp knife, cut warm cookies into 16 wedges. Cool completely in tart pan, then re-cut.

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan, bring cream just to the point of boiling — there will be steam rising and small bubbles starting to form. Immediately remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until mixture is melted, smooth and glossy. Let stand until glaze is thick but spreadable. Remove completely cooled shortbread wedges from pan and place on a rack set over wax paper. Use a knife or spatula to ice wedges, letting ganache drip down the sides a bit. Chill wedges just until ganache is firm, about 45 minutes, then store in single layers separated by wax paper in airtight container for up to 3 days. Makes 16 wedges.

Tester’s notes: With a deep, dark, not-too-sweet taste and heart-racing amounts of caffeine, these cookies probably aren’t for the children. But adults deserve holiday treats, too.

Espresso powder is a form of very finely ground instant coffee, which is so-so for drinking but very handy for baking. In a pinch, you can substitute regular instant coffee granules or a smaller amount of ground coffee beans, but you’ll need to grind them into a very fine powder using a spice mill or mortar and pestle.

These shortbready wedges are very tender, especially near the points, so you need to cut them while still warm and then leave them alone until they’re completely cool, otherwise you’ll have breakages.

Alison Gillmor
Writer

Studying at the University of Winnipeg and later Toronto’s York University, Alison Gillmor planned to become an art historian. She ended up catching the journalism bug when she started as visual arts reviewer at the Winnipeg Free Press in 1992.

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