Bizcochos de chocolate -- Chocolate biscuits, a Pinedo recipe

As I was reading through my translations of the Pinedo book, I tried to imagine the recipes--how they were made and what they were like when they were completed.  (Search this blog using the keyword "Pinedo" to see more details about this book.)

Some recipes didn't seem to be complete.  I left open the possibility that a recipe might be using a technique I was unaware of, so I didn't automatically assume the recipe was wrong.  Often I looked at other books or websites to see if I could find the same or similar recipes for confirmation.

This recipe, Bizcochos de chocolate, found on page 30, was one that caught my attention.  "Bizcocho" can mean a biscuit, a muffin, or a cake.  Ms. Pinedo used different words for muffin and cake, so I translated it as "Chocolate biscuits."

My Translation

Chocolate biscuits.

Beat or stir six fresh eggs well in a mortar, with one ounce of fine powdered chocolate and four ounces of well-ground sugar. All this is mashed, as I said, in a mortar until it turns into a paste; it is placed on papers or in molds.

I noticed there was no flour mentioned, which seemed odd to me.  So I looked at one of Ms. Pinedo's recipe sources, Nuevo cocinero mejicano (NCM), and found the same recipe on page 77.  That recipe said to use four ounces of flour and ten ounces of powdered sugar.

Ah, a challenge!

I wondered if Ms. Pinedo found a way to make the biscuits without using flour, or if she just made a mistake.  I had to try her recipe.

I had to decide what she meant by powdered chocolate.  My instinct was to get a tablet of Mexican chocolate, the kind you dissolve in hot milk or water for a beverage.  That would provide the chocolate flavor, some fat, and some added flavors like vanilla or cinnamon.

My Redaction (first attempt)

1 ounce Mexican chocolate 

6 eggs

4 ounces powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a pan with parchment paper or set out paper muffin cups.

Crush the chocolate tablet in a mortar until finely powdered.  Use a sieve as necessary to separate the powder from the pieces that still need to be crushed.

Mortar and pestle at the ready!

Crushed to a powder.

Mix the chocolate, sugar, and eggs together.  ...  ...  ...

My Notes

This is where I ran into problems.  When the ingredients were mixed, the result was very soupy.  It was clear that the wet-to-dry ratio was wrong.  I was convinced that if I tried to bake it in any amount, I would end up with an omelette.

Chocolate omelette?

It is possible that my large eggs were bigger than those Ms. Pinedo used.  Perhaps I should have used four instead of six.  However, it did not seem likely this recipe was correct.

So I switched to NCM's version.  I added the four ounces of flour and six more ounces of powdered sugar to the mixture.

Improving the wet-to-dry ratio

A thorough mixing yielded a mixture that was more like a batter, although it did not become a paste as the recipes described.  It was this I decided to bake.

Batter up!

I expected cookies, so I used a ladle to put some batter onto parchment paper and some in a thin layer inside muffin cups.

They baked for 7 minutes, then cooled so I could handle them.  

I was surprised at how fluffy they were!  Even the very thin ones on the paper had risen and had air bubbles.  

On paper

In muffin cup

The flavor was good -- I could taste the flavors from the Mexican chocolate (vanilla, cinnamon) but they didn't really taste like chocolate.  I think if you call it a chocolate biscuit, it should taste like chocolate.  

I decided I should try to bake the ones in the muffin cups with more batter, to get more of a muffin-like result.  I filled the cups to about half full.  Those baked for 15 minutes, which was just right.  A pick inserted in the middle came out clean.

I liked these, too.  The flavor was the same as the thinner ones.  There was more to bite into, which I liked.  One thing that bothered me were the "tubes" I could see inside the biscuit.  This made me think of quick breads that are stirred too much.  The texture wasn't quite right - they were a little rubbery.  One guest taster thought they were dry.  And I still wanted to taste chocolate.

There should not be tubes

So I took the rest of the batter and mixed in 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.  This made the batter thicker.  These baked for 15 minutes, too, at half full or a little more.

Now that looks like chocolate.

Contrast:  with cocoa powder on the left.

These definitely tasted like chocolate.  The texture was better!  I suspect I should have started with the cocoa powder instead of the tablet of Mexican chocolate.

Barely any tubes.  More even texture.

My guest taster liked them all but agreed that the chocolate biscuits were the best.  

My next goal was to determine what recipe would work without having to make all the adjustments.  I wanted to start with cocoa powder (not Mexican chocolate), flour, and powdered sugar.  Then I would add the beaten eggs one at a time until I thought the wet-to-dry ratio was right.  

It turns out that three eggs was just right.  Two made it dry, and three made it a thick batter.  No, I never got a paste.

My Redaction (final attempt)

4 ounces flour

10 ounces powdered sugar

1 ounce cocoa powder

3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Set out 10 - 12 paper muffin cups on a baking sheet or in a muffin tin.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Beat the eggs together, then add to the dry mixture.  Stir well.

Ladle or spoon into muffin cups; fill about half full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

A thick batter

Into the cups.  This is too full.

Notice the smooth tops?

Dense.  Moist.

The Verdict

The smooth tops after baking gave me a hint.  One bite told me the rest.  These are brownies!

Or perhaps proto-brownies.  They weren't as dense and moist as a typical modern brownie, and they weren't "fudgy", but they tasted like chocolate and were enjoyable to eat.  

Comparing them to modern brownies, they did not require butter (which would have made them moister) or baking powder/soda.  They didn't need salt or vanilla.  If I had baked them for about 18 minutes instead of 20, they might have been moister.  

The flavor was chocolate, the sweetness level was just right, and I liked the texture.  They were chewy, too.

Success, finally!