Chocolate Pretzels

2 days, 2 pretzels.

Well, sort of.

First, I made the "Everything Pretzels." Then, the following day, I decided to try Martha Stewart's "Chocolate Pretzels." Now, in case you are wondering, these are chocolate cookies - they are NOT meant to taste like a pretzel in any way. They just share the same shape. Don't go in, thinking that these will be "Auntie Annie's" meet "Chocolate Cookie."

Anyway, they taste good. It's basically a rich, crunchy, sugar dusted cookie, that looks very pretty. Well, it SHOULD look very pretty, but as I mentioned yesterday, I am not so great at creating uniformly shaped cookies. Instead, I have 2 dozen, oddly shaped, pretzel-esque looking thingies... They have that cakey crunch, that is sort of a melding of softt anf crispy. I like hem, though I still prefer a run of the mill, chewy, chocolate chippity type of cookie. I guess my dessert palate isn't quite asrefined as Ms. Martha...




You should make these, if you have someone to impress. Don't make them to put in your kids' lunches. Too much work... 3.5 Bowls!

Chocolate Pretzels

• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon good-quality instant espresso powder
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Stir cocoa and espresso powders into the boiling water in a small bowl until dissolved; set aside. Meanwhile, put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in vanilla and salt. Reduce speed to medium-low. Mix in egg, then cocoa mixture. Gradually add flour, and mix until a smooth dough forms. Turn out onto a piece of plastic; pat into a square. Wrap dough, and refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Shape balls into 12-inch-long ropes. Twist each rope into a pretzel shape. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Brush cookies with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until dry, about 35 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chocolate Pretzels - Martha Stewart Recipes