It was fate. I went home for my mom's birthday and she just happened to have star anise which I had been looking for since I saw this recipe back in February and then when I came back to California, I walked into my aunt's house to be greeted by a large grapefruit. I first thought it was a pomelo because of its size but it was grapefruit colored and then my aunt confirmed that indeed it was a massive grapefruit. The two main ingredients I had been looking for to make these cookies had simply fallen into my lap. So with my aunt out of town I asked my friends if they wanted to make dinner of Gnocchi parsisienne and then decided I would make these cookies from The Bitten Word.
While I (predictably) overcooked these cookies at first, I would suggest undercooking them because it keeps them moist and bursting with flavor. I recommend, if your friends are of the picky type, not telling them what's in these cookies. If they're picky the ingredients (namely star anise with it's licorice flavor) might turn them off. However, without knowing the ingredients, one of my friends asked if there was some raspberry in there. Yum. That being said, I don't think these cookies are for everyone since the flavor is quite unique but if you stumble on some star anise and already have a spice grinder, (which I didn't and had to make a run to the store to buy one) then I would try making these these cookies.
Chocolate cookies with grapefruit and star anise
Ingredients
8oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup sugar
3 whole star anise (this produces a pretty intense flavor I might use 2 instead)
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
2-4 teaspoons finely grated grapefruit peel
Directions
1) Combine chocolate and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals until chocolate is almost melted; remove and stir until melted and smooth. Finely grind 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 star anise in spice mill or small coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in flour, cocoa, coarse salt, and baking powder.
2) Beat remaining 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, honey, and grapefruit peel in large bowl until thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate, then dry ingredients. Cover bowl; chill batter until cold and firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day.
3) Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 2 inches apart.
4) Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until dry-looking and tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet 3 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper
I actually think these cookies would be better with a regular cookie dough instead of chocolate. That would be an interesting thing to try...
