Chocolate Root Beer Poppers

These, my friends, are the culmination of a epic quest for ingredients – a quest that spanned more than seven grocery establishments and ten days of increasing irritation  (until I ultimately caved and resorted to Amazon.com, as is so often the way).

And, spoiler, I’m not convinced they were worth it. But you don’t have to go through the same struggle! Just order your damn root beer concentrate online and save yourself the exasperation. Then you might be more delighted with the result. Everyone I shared them with enjoyed them… They’ve got a nice, soft texture – not so dry as to be crunchy, but more crumbly than chewy. They’re also nicely fudgy if you don’t over bake them.

But, I should say, I’m also not sure I’m sold on chocolate and root beer. I kind of want to try to make these without the cocoa powder, as I really enjoy root beer flavor but personally find that chocolate overwhelms it.

But if I hadn’t trekked through: Earth Fare, Whole Foods, Publix, Bi-Lo (2 of them), Fresh Market, and Trader Joe’s (which was a long shot anyway) in search of root beer concentrate and root beer barrel candies, I might have felt more generous toward these cookies. I had to get the candy from an old-fashioned candy store downtown and get the concentrate online.

So, if you love root beer and you somehow happen to have the ingredients handy – these are tasty! But that seems unlikely. Hopefully I’ll find other root beer-related recipes to make it worthwhile.

Chocolate Root Beer Poppers (from Sweet and Vicious)

Grade: B

***Requires a little bit of refrigeration***

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon root beer concentrate/extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup root beer barrel candies (crushed in a food processor or strong blender to get an even consistency)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and granulated sugar for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and root beer concentrate and beat just until combined.

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and cocoa powder and mix until well incorporated.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Use a 1 tablespoon measuring scoop to scoop out the dough, then use your hands to shape them into balls. Place the balls about 1 inch apart (these cookies don’t expand much), and bake for 6-9 minutes or just until set.

Meanwhile, combine the confectioners sugar and crushed candies. When the poppers have cooled, roll them in the candy mixture.