Dorie Greenspan is a baking rock star, one of the most inventive cooks I know. For example, her knock-out recipe for chocolate crumbs — yes, chocolate crumbs! — that can be sprinkled on anything to make it swoon-worthy. Such a simple idea, crispy chocolate crumbs capable of transforming a bowl of ice cream, a pudding, popcorn, a dish of raspberries. But why not pair them with something savory, I thought to myself, and that’s when it hit me: make french toast, and sprinkle on Dorie’s chocolate crumble to give it some bite. With a touch of maple or fruit syrup, trust me, it works. And check out our Food Schmooze pal Dorie at DorieGreenspan.com.
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Dorie Greenspan is a baking rock star, one of the most inventive cooks I know. For example, her knock-out recipe for chocolate crumbs -- yes, chocolate crumbs! -- that can be sprinkled on anything to make it swoon-worthy. Such a simple idea, crispy chocolate crumbs capable of transforming a bowl of ice cream, a pudding, popcorn, a dish of raspberries.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (lump-free)
- 1/4 cup dark cacao powder (Dorie and I like Valrhona best)
- 1/2 tspn fine sea salt
- 5 1/2 tbsp (2-3/4 ounces) cool unsalted butter cut into small pieces
Servings: Makes about 2 cups
Instructions
- Dorie says toss all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and drop in the chopped butter. Reach in with your hands and start rubbing and squeezing the ingredients together until you've got a rocky road mix and you no longer see butter. Cover and chill the streusel mixture for at least two hours, or up to two days.
- Center a rack in a preheated oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the crumbs onto the baking sheet and, using your fingers, rub the streusel so you don't have too many large lumps.
- Bake 15 to 18 minutes, mixing, turning, and stirring the streusel twice, until the crumbs separate into small grains. The crumbs will look sandy, and you'll have a few pebbly pieces here and there. Let the crumbs cool; they'll become crisp.
- Dorie says she keeps her crumbs in an air-tight container on the kitchen counter, or they can be refrigerated or frozen. The point is to have fun putting them on anything and everything that sounds good. I'm thinking of oatmeal, dressed up with buttery chocolate crumbs and, why not, an added sprinkle of toasted coconut. That's a reason to get up in the morning.
