Environmental Munchies

Last night, Russ and I finally watched An Inconvenient Truth, interrupted periodically by the kitchen timer letting us know that our espresso snowcap cookies were ready to come out of the oven.

It is a combo that I highly recommend. An Inconvenient Truth is, by turns, a bit hokey and surprisingly touching. It was a docu-presentation that I'm glad I watched, if not only for a bit more insight into the history and issues surrounding global warming. And how can you not love a man with a drawly Tennessee accent? (I'll tell you, for me, it's just impossible.)

Our cookie choice fit in well with the images of polar ice caps melting and dramatically crashing into the water below them. I'm usually relegated to the land of dishwashing and cleanup, but these were so easy, even a kitchen-phobe like me thought they were a breeze. A gentle, clean breeze with no poisonous greenhouse gases.
Espresso Snowcap Cookies

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons instant espresso (We used Folgers Decaf Instant Crystals and it turns out well)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup confectioners sugar, for coating

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients; beat in milk just until combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in parchment paper. Freeze until firm, about 25-45 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar twice (the more sugar, the better).

3. Place balls on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 13 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 18 small-medium sized snowcaps
(Adapted from Everyday Food Collectible Cookie Edition)