Crispy Bittersweet Chocolate Wafers

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) butter
• 6 ounces dark chocolate (61 to 70 percent cocoa solids)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• Bain-marie (see Notes)
• Cookie sheets (16 x 13 inches)
• Offset spatula
• 3-inch round, square, or triangular cookie cutter, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line two 16 x 13-inch cookie sheets with parchment or with nonstick baking pads.
3. Prepare the dry ingredients:
4. In a dry bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
5. Set aside.
6. Prepare the chocolate:
7. In the bowl of a bain-marie, melt the chocolate and butter, stirring frequently.
8. Remove from the heat and set aside.
9. Whip the sugar with the egg:
10. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, and egg by hand for 30 seconds.
11. Whisk in the melted chocolate.
12. Finish the batter:
13. Add the dry mixture, all at once, to the chocolate mixture.
14. Slowly whisk the mixture until the batter is lump-free and thoroughly combined.
15. Spread the batter onto the cookie sheets:
16. Divide the batter between the 2 prepared cookie sheets and, using an offset spatula, spread out as much as possible.
17. Cover the cookie batter with another sheet of parchment or wax paper.
18. The batter will now be sandwiched between 2 layers of paper.
19. Using your hands, press the paper to spread the batter between the sheets until it covers the entire cookie sheet.
20. Once the batter is evenly distributed over the whole pan, quickly peel off the top layer of parchment.
21. Repeat the process on the second tray.
22. Bake and shape the wafers:
23. Place both trays in the oven and bake until the sheets no longer appear shiny and wet and resemble the top of a chocolate cake, 12 minutes.
24. Remove one sheet and, holding the pan steady with one hand, use a cookie cutter to punch and shape your cookies without removing them from the cookie sheet.
25. Or use a knife to cut the cookies into triangles, rectangles, or squares.
26. You must work quickly because these cookies will crack and break as they cool.
27. If the cookies get too cool, place the tray back in the oven for a minute.
28. Once you have cut and shaped all the cookies on a tray, put it back in the oven for 6 to 10 minutes or until you smell the chocolate caramelizing while you repeat the shaping process with the second tray.
29. Allow the cookies to cool on the trays.
30. Once the cookies have cooled they should be light and crispy.
31. If they are still soft, you can return them to the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
32. Serving Suggestions:
33. Serve these cookies with milk.
34. They are also a perfect accompaniment to any of the mousse recipes.
35. They also make the best crumb crust for the Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Crumb Crust.
36. Variation:
37. Chocolate Crumb Crust: Preheat the oven to 350F.
38. Grind one baking sheet of the cookies in a food processor.
39. You should have approximately 2 cups of crumbs.
40. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter.
41. In a bowl, using a fork, toss the crumbs with the melted butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
42. Press the crumbs into a 9-inch pie dish.
43. Cover the crumbs with a piece of aluminum foil and fill the pie shell with pie weights or dry beans.
44. Bake the crust for 25 minutes.
45. Allow the crust to cool then remove the weights and the aluminum lining.

flour, baking soda, salt, butter, chocolate, sugar, light corn syrup, notes, spatula, cookie cutter

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/crispy-bittersweet-chocolate-wafers (may not work)