BARRY SAYS: Every now and again, Kelley likes a good challenge when it comes to cooking. Over the years, we've done things like grab a cookbook with recipes from around the world and blindly turn to a page. Whatever popped up is what she'd make. Other days she'd say, "Pick a country." One thing she does not do is bake.
KELLEY SAYS: Nope. I do not. Baking involves following directions and I like to improvise and add my own touches to dishes. However, just the idea of matching beer to cookies seemed intriguing, so I thought we'd try it. I'm not a beer drinker normally, but the craft beer world has exploded and there are some wonderful-tasting beers that are readily available.
BARRY: I brought home a copy of "Together at Last: Cookies & Beer" by Jonathan Bender and we both picked a couple of options and pretty quickly agreed on the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookie recipe by Anne Ng. The idea of habanero pepper flavoring with chocolate paired with a smoked porter spoke to me.
KELLEY: I was not able to find the habanero sugar in town, so we ordered it online from OliveNation.com. I'll use it for other things as well. I did make one change, using dark chocolate chips instead of the semisweet variety called for in the recipe.
BARRY: The book also recommended pairing the cookies with a smoked porter from O'Fallon Brewery, but they didn't have that at Beverage World in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. The guys there know their stuff, however, and quickly recommended either the Ashtray Heart from Evil Twin or the smoked porter from Stone Brewing. Naturally, I got both.
KELLEY: I liked the Stone beer a little better. Would we do this again? Probably not, but not because it wasn't very good. We just don't eat a lot of desserts or sweets.
BARRY: Skipping dessert makes room for other things. Anyway, the habanero and cinnamon flavors really came through, as did the chocolate, and both were good with the beer.
KELLEY: Also, the recipe says it yields about 28 cookies, but we got 38 big, thick ones.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
The recipe
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies 5 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder 1/2 tablespoon baking soda 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 cups (4 sticks) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark-brown sugar 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs 2 cups dark chocolate chips Coating (see recipe below) Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In the mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on low to medium speed until light and fluffy. With the mixer running on low, add the eggs one at a time. Scrape the bowl and make sure the eggs have been fully incorporated. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture in a few batches. Mix until the dough looks smooth and even. Add the chocolate chips and mix on low just until the chips are evenly distributed. Now it's time to make the cookie coating. The Coating 2 tablespoons habanero sugar 6 tablespoons granulated sugar In a flat-bottomed bowl, combine the habanero sugar and the granulated sugar. With that done, it's time to combine the dough and the coating. Use a 1/4 cup to 2-ounce scoop to portion out the dough. We used an ice-cream scoop. Dredge the dough portions through the coating sugar, making sure to cover all sides. Place the cookies at least three inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for seven minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for five to seven minutes more. The cookies are done when the edges are firm and the centers are still a little bit gooey. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days. - From Anne Ng