So, remember the other day when I mentioned over-doing it with the eating of crackers and how it’s better that I eat too many crackers than cookies? Well, I do it with cookies, too. And while I almost always prefer a homemade cookie, I’m a sucker for a couple of the store-bought varieties. Put a box of Chewy Chips Ahoy! cookies (the ones in the red package) in front of me and I just can’t stop. Same goes with Keebler’s Fudge Stripes. I swear there’s something those little elves do that makes Fudge Stripes absolutely irresistible and so easy to just eat and eat and eat. I have to avoid them every time I enter the grocery store. It’s not easy. And even when I avoid them in the grocery store , I often return home only to lose all willpower while immersed in work at 11 p.m. and end up lovingly asking Chris to run to 7-11 right next door and pick some up. Living next to 7-11 is dangerous. So, is having a super nice fiance.
Anyway, when I saw a recipe from Annie’s Eats instructing me on how to make my own Fudge Stripes Cookies, I knew I had to try my hand at them. I changed the recipe up a tiny bit, but overall, I found them to be delightful and very similar to the cookies I was used to eating.
Fudge Stripes Cookies (makes about 2 dozen):
Adapted from Annie’s Eats
Print this recipe!
- 1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 t baking soda
- 6 T corn syrup
- 1/2 C melted, clarified butter (you’ll need 12 T butter)
- 2 T vanilla extract
- 3/4 lb. dark chocolate
Start by clarifying your butter. Basically, put 12 T butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it melt and then skim the white foam off the top. Measure out half a cup.
Now, in a mixer, combine the flour and baking soda. Mix in corn syrup, butter, and vanilla just until dough comes together.
Remove dough from mixer bowl, form into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Once your dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large oval. It should be about 1/4″ in thickness.
Now, with a 2 1/2″ round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or drinking glass, begin cutting out rounds. You’ll need a smaller round to cut out the center hole. I used a little pastry tip.
Place the dough rounds on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and poke little holes in them with a fork. I ended up getting 24 rounds with my dough, but had a bit extra… And I definitely should have made my cookies a bit thicker, which is exactly where that extra dough could have gone.
Bake rounds at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Let cool on pan for a bit and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Now it’s time to get your chocolate on. Believe it or not, I’ve never really played around with tempering chocolate. I generally just melt it over a double boiler and hope for the best. But this time, I followed this little guide, tried to be patient, and tried my hand at some tempering. The original recipe called for 1 lb. chocolate, but I had a ton left over, so I recommend using less. I also recommend using a dark chocolate, but nothing too fancy or strong. I used 70% cocoa and found it to have a little too much depth for these cookies. I think a milk chocolate would have been a bit closer, judging by how mild these cookies usually are.
Once your chocolate is melted properly, deep each of the cooled rounds into the chocolate.
Place on a parchment-covered cookie sheet to dry.
Once you’re done dipping all the cookies, fill a pastry bag, plastic bag, or squeeze bottle with the rest of the chocolate. And dry a striped pattern over the cookies. This looks a bit messy, but I think it would be impossible not to be? Or maybe that’s just me.
Let the chocolate dry (Annie’s Eats says that if you used tempered chocolate, it should air dry in about 5-10 minutes. If not, pop them in the refrigerator).
When the chocolate is dried, enjoy this glorious childhood (OK, adulthood) treat.
These cookies really are, quite simply, a shortbread cookie with chocolate, but there’s something about them that’s so incredible. I’m not even usually a big fan of shortbread cookies. Maybe it’s the clarifying of the butter? I might have to do that more often from now on.
Just like with the package of store-bought cookies, once you start snacking you can’t stop. Hey, at least these are pretty small and relatively not the worst-for-you cookies in the world.
I thought it was a good idea to be able to make these cookies from scratch, but now I’m even more worried that every time I get the craving, I’ll immediately run to my kitchen and whip up 2 dozen of these cookies. They’re easy. And if I’m not blogging about them and not sharing them, they don’t have to look even remotely attractive. You’ll never know how many of these I end up eating.
At least Chris won’t have to run to 7-11 anymore at 11 p.m.? I’ll count that as a victory for him.
P.S. Did you know Nabisco has a huge link on their website to Amazon, encouraging you to buy bulk packages of their cookies. Clever move, Nabisco, clever move.
Have you ever tried to learn to make one of your favorite store-bought desserts?
[Sues]
