Recipe - Black Magic Cookies Wblackstrap Icing

BATTER
1 cup Raisins
One fourth cup Dark rum
3 cup Flour
One fourth cup Unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoon Baking powder
One half teaspoon Ground allspice
One half teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Salt
8 ounce Semisweet chocolate; cut
into 1/4" pieces
One half pound Unsalted butter; cut into 1
oz pieces
1 cup Firmly packed brown sugar
3 lg Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla

ICING
6 ounce Semisweet chocolate; cut
into 1/4" pieces
Three fourths cup Heavy cream
One fourth pound Unsalted butter; cut into 1
oz pieces
2 tablespoon Blackstrap molasses

Combine the raisins and rum in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid
and steep at room temp for 6 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350@. In a
sifter combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon
and salt. Sift onto wax paper and set aside til needed. Heat 1" of water in
the bottom half of a dbl boiler over medium heat. With the heat on, place
the chocolate in the top half. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate
til completely melted and smooth, about 3 mins. Transfer the melted
chocolate to a 1 qt bowl and set aside til needed. Combine the butter and
brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on
medium speed for 4 mins til soft. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down sides
of the bowl. Continue to beat on medium for 4 more mins til fairly smooth.
Scrape down the bowl, then beat on high for 2 mins til smooth. Add the
eggs, one at a time, beating on medium for 1 min and scraping down bowl
after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat on high 1 min; scrape down
bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium 30 seconds til
incorporated. Add the rum infused raisins and mix on low for 30 seconds til
combined; scrape down bowl. Operate the mixer on low while gradually adding
the dry ingredients. When all the dry ingredients have been incorporated,
about 2 mins, remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to
finish mixing the dough til thoroughly combined. Using a heaping tbsp of
dough for each cookie, portion 12 cookies, evenly spaced, onto each of 4
nonstick baking sheets. Place the sheets on the top and center racks of the
preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 mins, rotating the sheets from top to
center about halfway thru the baking time (also turn each sheet 180@).
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool to room temp on the baking
sheets, about 30 mins. To make the icing: Place the chocolate in a 3 qt
bowl. Heat the heavy cream, butter and molasses in a 1 One half qt saucepan over
medium heat. Stir to dissolve the molasses, then bring to a boil. Pour the
boiling mixture over the chocolate and set aside for 5 mins. Stir til
smooth. Keep the icing at room temp for 1 hour before using. Ice the
cookies by spooning about 1 tbsp atop each one.

Recipe by: Death By Chocolate Cookies Recipe by A DIET FOR ALL SEASONS
(1995) Haas & Manzolini
Posted to KitMailbox Digest by Cairn Rodrigues cairnann@yahoo.com on Mar
31, 1998