Death by cookies... rich chocolate cookies...

I am trying to get this posted quick as we've been without internet access since last night and it is very touch and go tonight. Once our cable system is back up and running I will get caught up with your e-mails and comments - please don't think we are ignoring you! I did keep myself busy with some baking for the Wednesday Treat Day goodies for Jeff's co-workers though!

I think I found my chocolate limit with these cookies, Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies with Mocha Cream Filling. These killer cookies are intense, rich, decadent and may give quite a buzz depending how many you eat! What is sandwiched between the cookies is a soft mousse-like filling that is made from bittersweet chocolate, cream and espresso powder melted together. When cooled, the creamy mixture is combined with butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. The filling was a little tricky for me as I was expecting it to be a little more firm. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may need to do the filling in stages as it may go a little too soft. Crammed with chocolate chips, the dark cookies are crisp when completely cool - but once filled, they slowly turn more soft and chewy so when you bite into them the filling does not squish out the sides. To control spreading while the cookies bake, the dough works best when very chilled - so allow some time for that. These will need to be stored in the refrigerator to keep the filling solid, but I found we liked the taste best when chilled. I made just about 60 cookies (pre-sandwiched) because they are so rich, but go wild and make them bigger if you want.

Tonight's dinner was a fun new twist on chicken salads for us. Chicken, Spinach, Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Sauteed Apples had so many flavors and textures happening that it keeps your palate working to figure out the ingredients. The rice was an interesting and very filling addition to the tart salad. We found there was enough of the bright tangy dressing to go around and keep the salad pretty moist. I sauteed the wedges of granny smith apples for about 3 minutes, just until they softened a bit, but were still crisp. I used spinach in the recipe, but for a more peppery bite, feel free to use arugula. The crumbly gorgonzola brought just enough bite to the salad without competing with the other flavors. We both completely enjoyed this salad and it may just replace our "normal" Saturday night chicken salads!

Recipes
Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies with Mocha Cream Filling
Chicken, Spinach, Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Sauteed Apples