A Mudslide You Are Going To Love
Mudslides bring two things to mind: one is a fabulous drink and one is a moving mass of mud caused by rain or snow. One is a good thing, the other really bad. Then my dear friends bought me a book, A Year In Chocolate by Jacques Torres, and I discovered a third incredible Mudslide.
This Mudslide is a cookie that packs a whopping 2 pounds of chocolate. One pound is melted with unsweetened chocolate. The other is chopped. Now some people chop chocolate with a knife, an honorable option to be sure.
I, on the other hand, see this as an opportunity to release some tension. Additionally, when I chop a pound of chocolate chips (which is how I buy my chocolate,) the pieces go flying all over the place, which means I lose some of the pieces to the floor and have a really messy countertop. By putting the chips into a freezer bag, I am able to bang away with the rolling pin and the chocolate gets chopped, in a very unconventional way.
A big challenge for me is whether or not I should risk severe burns by picking up a Mudslide that just came out of the oven. I know that if I can possibly wait just a few minutes, I will still have sensation in my fingers, which is a good thing. It is a tough decision, and I must admit that there are times that I wonder if I have lost my mind, but my stomach is so darn happy with a piping hot, gooey cookie.
There is one thing that you have to be careful of when making Mudslide cookies; the vultures (a/k/a family and friends) will devour the cookies very quickly. It may mean that you need to find new family and friends who will not pillage your delicious cookies, but it is worth baking them and dealing with the necessary consequences later. Yup, they are that good!
| Mudslide Cookies | | Print |
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate chips
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2¼ cups sugar
- 1¼ cups walnuts, chopped
- For the cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Microwave 1 pound bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened chocolate together. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, scraping the bowl down several times. The mixture will resemble bath salts.
- Blend in the eggs, followed by the melted chocolate. Add in the flour mixture.
- Using a spatula, fold in the chopped chocolate and walnuts.
- Scoop out the cookies onto the parchment lined baking sheets, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, leaving 1” in between cookies. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. The cookies will be set around the edges.
- Mudslides are incredible served warm.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- If the thought of chopping the chocolate that will be folded into the dough is not appealing, adding the chocolate chips without chopping them first is an option. The consistency of the cookies will be slightly different, but equally delicious.
- The butter needs to be at room temperature. Otherwise the sugar and butter will not mix together properly.
- Mudslides freeze beautifully. I like to warm them in the oven (or microwave) before serving.
I have some left over pecans from the 6 Banana Breads that I just made for Christmas gifts; can these be substituted for walnuts. And if so, what difference will I notice? I’m sure you had a reason for using walnuts. Also, you state how incredible they are when served warm; can I assume they will still be just as good if cooled down or cold? There again, what will be the noticeable difference? Keep in mind, I want them to be as delectable as yours. Thank you.
M., you may use the pecans instead. The difference will be in the taste of the nut.
In terms of hot, warm or cold, whereas I think they are beyond delicious hot and warm, I also really love them right out of the freezer.
Hope this helps and enjoy your Mudslides!
A big help. Thank you so much. Keep posting. You’ve made a baker out of me (thanks to your explicit instructions and step by step photos). A bit more awkward than you, I am sure; but the food is devoured just as quickly as yours and that is most rewarding.
Thank you M.!
These sound wonderful. I assume these are not very sweet- but very rich. Any reason why you could not switch the choc. For semi- sweet or even milk choc.? Thanks!
I am a big believer in baking with the chocolate you love. The recipe stated bittersweet chocolate and as I am a dark chocolate lover, that is what I went with and love.
If milk or semi-sweet are your favorite chocolates, use them. The recipe will be even better for you when you use your go-to chocolate.
I don’t know if it is obvious to you by my comments that slowly but surely I am trying to make everything on your website; but I’m beginning to run out of superlatives. I made these for friends today and I never saw a tray of cookies go so quickly. Everyone raved. Of course, I had already tasted 4 of them to make sure they were good and I could not believe that I actually made them crispy on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside. Add to that the wonderful chunks of chocolate and the walnuts and you’ve got perfection.
Kudos, once again.
Many thanks M. I love hearing about your progress through Desserts Required. Keep up the delicious work!