Baking Friday - 5th Friday Cookie

Hello, my name is Deb.  I used to post on this here blog with some regularity, sharing recipes for baked treats, but I've been coughing up lungs due to bronchitis for the last couple of weeks so you probably think that I've forgotten all about you.

But I haven't!  I promise!

This has simply been the worst case of bronchitis that I've ever had, including rib pain from coughing so hard.  And I will be perfectly ok if this case of bronchitis never gets trumped!  Thankfully I am finally feeling well enough to make this cookie!

Uh, Deb, are you sure you're better?  There are two treats in that pic, and neither one of these looks like a cookie.

Trust me, one of these treats IS a cookie!  This one!

Except my pics loading isn't going right so imagine it turned 90 degrees counterclockwise.  Sigh.  I am so going to have to figure out the more permanent URL thing soon...

But back to what this cookie is.  Helen Fletcher called it a Chocolate Adoration Torte.  However I didn't do it quite right, so this is really more of a Chocolate Chip Adoration Torte.

Deb - you're calling this a torte.  "Torte" doesn't equal "Cookie."

And you're right!  Except that this is ALL based on a cookie!  I've been waiting over 25 years to make this torte...er...cookie...drooling over the pic in Helen's cookbook for years...but never had an occasion to do so.

Until now!  The 5th Friday cookie had to be exceptional!  Even if late.  It had to be unusual!  Even if late.  It had to be worth of being a 5th Friday cookie!  Even if late.  And THIS cookie fit the bill!!

So what is a Chocolate Chip Adoration Torte?  It is layers of 10 - 12 thin cookies held together with a Bailey's chocolate cream filling and finished off with chocolate and whipped cream cones made from the same chocolate chip cookie batter.  Sounds promising, right?

It is!  This is a keeper recipe!  I won't be waiting another 25 years or a "special" occasion to do this again!   As one reviewer put it, this is "incredible"!  Another said it was "superb" - rich and delicious.  If tiramisu has a twin, this would be it!  Helen's original recipe called for creme de menthe, but I didn't have creme de menthe on hand.  I did have Bailey's on hand though, sooooo....voila!  Bailey's chocolate cream filling was born!

I will share the recipe first and then the pictures (there are LOTS of them!), but this really didn't take a long time to make.  And it's a GREAT make ahead special dessert, since the whole thing should be assembled 12 - 24 hours ahead of serving with only piping the whipped cream in the cones before serving.  How great is that?!  A fancy schmancy looking dessert that doesn't take a bunch of time and needs to be made in advance for it to taste right!  SWEET!

Here is the recipe for the cookie batter:
Cookie Batter
9 T. melted butter
Splash of vanilla
3/4 cup egg whites (about 6 whites from large eggs)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, grated (if you want a solid chocolate cookie) or chopped (if you want a chocolate chip type cookie)

Bailey's Chocolate Filling
6 egg yolks (from the whites used to make the cookies)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
5 T. butter
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup Bailey's
1 cup whipping cream

To make the cookies, add the vanilla (or other flavoring of choice) to the melted butter and set aside.   Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff peaks form.

Fold in half of the flour with a rubber spatula.

Until fully incorporated.

Add the remainder of the flour.

And fold it in until incorporated.

Next take about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the mixture and add it to the melted butter.  It's better to add slightly too much than too little.

Whisk the egg white mixture into the butter.  It will look curdled at first.

But keep whisking, and it will come together.  This step is "tempering" the butter so that the egg white mixture can incorporate the butter without separating.

Return this to the remainder of the egg white batter along with the grated or chopped chocolate.

Fold this all together with a rubber spatula until smooth.

To form the cones, grease and flour a strip about 4" - 5" wide on a cookie sheet and then mark off circles about 3" in diameter.  Plan for 3 cookies baked per sheet prep.

Spread about 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons of batter in each circle.

Bake for about 4 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies set for 30 seconds.  Then using an offset spatula, lift off each cookie and shape it around a metal cone creme horn mold.

Remove the cone after about 20 seconds so that the cookie doesn't stick to the cone and set on a rack to cool.  (Please note - my cones were a bit too large; I made mine about 3-1/2" in diameter, and I feel like 3" would have been better.  (oh, and I double dog dare you not to lick the beater or your fingers as you work with this batter!  Super tasty!!)

Once 12 cones have been made, it is time to make the layers.  Grease and flour the bottom of two 8" or 9" round cake pans.

Add about 1/4 cup of batter to each pan.

Spread the batter into a thin layer over the entire bottom of the pan.

Bake both pans for about 5 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and using a long, offset spatula immediately remove the cookies and cool on a rack.

These will be thin and crisp up quickly.  Here is a side view of one to get a sense of thickness.

The batter needs to be spread on cool pans, so cool them quickly by placing under running water, wash, rinse, dry and then grease and flour again.  Continue to spread and bake as above until the batter is used up.  It should yield 10 - 12 cookie layers.

For the filling, melt the butter and chocolate together over hot water until smooth.  Then add the Bailey's and sitr until smooth.  Keep warm.  (I forgot to take a pic of this step!0

In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks and powdered sugar.  Add a splash of vanilla.

Beat with a mixer.  It will be bright yellow to begin.

Continue beating until thick and pale in color and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the mixture.

Add the chocolate and beat until the mixture is cool - about 5 minutes.

Finally beat the whipping cream until fairly stiff and then fold into chocolate mixture.  Yum!

Set it in the fridge overnight and by all means taste it when you take it out of the fridge to assemble the torte!

To build the torte, place one cookie layer on a plate.

Spread a thin layer of filling on the cookie.

Place another layer to build a stack.

Spread another layer of filling.

And keep building layers until all cookie layers and filling are used up.  (And make sure you take a picture of your layers so that they look turned on their side once you post it online!)

Now it is time to turn our attention to the cones.

Melt 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate.  Paint the inside of the cone with the chocolate.

Paint a small amount of chocolate on the outside seam of the cone and "glue" the cone to the top layer of the torte.

Repeat with all of the cones until fully covered.

This entire torte should then sit in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours.  This is a key step for the flavors and textures to meld into one whole torte.  The closer it gets to 24 hours, the softer the layers will be.  The closer the rest is to 12 hours, the crisper the layers will be.

When ready to serve, whip another 1/2 cup of cream with 2 T. of powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla until stiff.  Pipe the cream into each cone.  And then dust with powdered sugar for a final garnish!

Cutting this can be a bit tricky, but use a sawing motion with a serrated knife, and it cuts pretty well, and every one should get a cone if you're serving 12!

Here is how it looks once it's cut.  Look at all those layers!

I am sorry about the pictures all being 90 degrees off, but thank you for reading this far, if you have!  I hope you have enjoyed and might give this one a try!