Midnight

Ask and you shall receive. Melusina requested the recipe for the Midnight cookies, so here you go:

Midnights

This recipe is adapted from one that appeared in the Washington Post last year, which in turn was adapted from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. It’s the richest chocolate cookie I’ve ever tasted, and it’s actually black. You can use whatever kind of candy kiss you like to press into the top, or even chocolate nonpareils (the kind with white sprinkles on the bottom). It’s also good with different kinds of chips instead of chocolate (peanut butter, white chocolate, etc.)
Note: Use the best-quality chocolate you can afford — it makes a difference! If you can’t find espresso powder, buy espresso coffee beans and grind them super-fine. You can use regular cocoa powder, but the Special Dark powder makes the cookie blacker.

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into chunks
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey Special Dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. espresso powder
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (or semisweet if you can’t find bittersweet)
Candy kisses (I used Hershey Hugs)

1. In small saucepan over very low heat, melt together bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, stirring frequently until almost melted through. Remove from heat and keep stirring until fully melted and smooth. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, espresso powder and melted chocolate, mixing until evenly incorporated. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm but pliable. (Do not over-chill, or the dough will be difficult to work with.)
4. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by tablespoonful onto the baking sheets. Bake 9 minutes, or until they appear set. Remove from oven and immediately press a candy kiss, point side down, into the center of each cookie. Let sit on baking sheets until the cookies are set, then remove to wire racks and cool completely.