Black Forest cookie cups

There sweet bakes from Tat Effby are like mini pies, but with a cookie dough base. The double chocolate cookie dough base holds a boozy whipped chocolate ganache and a cherry, which is topped with a generous dollop of mascarpone cream and an extra cherry.

Credit: Murdoch Books / Mowie Kay

• makes

  12

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Cookie cup dough

• 150 g (5¼ oz) salted butter, softened
• 150 g (5¼ oz) granulated sugar
• 60 g (2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 200 g (7 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour or 240 g (8½ oz) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour + ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 80 g (2¾ oz) white chocolate, chopped into small chunks
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 g (2 oz) / 4 tbsp water

Chocolate filling

• 150 g (5¼ oz) milk chocolate, chopped into small chunks
• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) cherry brandy, syrup or kirsch from a jar of cherries
• 110 g (3¾ oz) double (heavy) cream
• 12 pitted fresh cherries, frozen cherries or cherries in kirsch

Mascarpone cream

• 100 g (3½ oz) mascarpone
• 200 g (7 oz) double (heavy) cream
• 20 g (½ oz) granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate

• 20 g (⅔ oz) milk chocolate
• 12 pitted fresh cherries, frozen cherries or cherries in kirsch

Cooling time: 20 minutes.

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 175°C fan (375°F/gas 5). Lightly oil the cups of the muffin tin. Cut 2-cm (¾-inch) wide strips of baking paper, 15 cm (6 inches) long. Lay one strip in each cup to hoist the cookie cups out after baking.
2. Start with the cookie cup dough. To a large bowl, add the soft butter, sugar, cocoa powder, flour (and xanthan gum, if using gluten-free flour), baking powder and salt. Mix briefly with a hand mixer to a sandy texture.
3. Add the white chocolate, vanilla and water. Mix briefly until clumps of dough just start to form, then pull into a large ball, but don’t overwork it.
4. Scoop up 60 g (2 oz) of the dough, roll it into a ball and drop it in a muffin cup. Using the end of an oiled rolling pin or a shot glass, push it into the centre of the ball, forcing the dough up around the sides to form a cup. Repeat until all 12 cups of the tin are filled with cookie dough.
5. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes or until the dough puffs and starts to lose its cup shape.
6. While the cookie cups are baking, make the chocolate filling. To a microwave-safe bowl, add the milk chocolate, cherry brandy and double cream. Microwave in 15-second bursts to slowly melt everything together, then mix until blended. If you don’t have a microwave, sit a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water to melt. Chill in the fridge.
7. Remove the cookie cups from the oven and press the oiled rolling pin or shot glass into the puffy dough to re-form the cookie cup. Leave the cups in the tin to set for at least 20 minutes before removing with the paper strips to cool completely on a rack.
8. When the chocolate filling has set firm, beat until it goes lighter in colour and mousse-like in consistency. Spoon 25 g (¾ oz) of ganache into each cooled cookie cup then press a cherry into the centre of the filling.
9. In a large bowl, break up the mascarpone with a spoon. Add the cream a little at a time, mixing the two to smooth out any lumps of mascarpone. Add the sugar and vanilla, then beat until the cream thickens.
10. Pipe or spoon the mascarpone cream over the chocolate filling. Create curls by drawing a vegetable peeler along the side of the chocolate block. Tumble the curls over the cream, then finish with another cherry.

Recipe and image from Bake Your Sweet Time by Tat Effby, photography by Mowie Kay. (Murdoch Books RRP $45)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.