When I first heard about blogging by mail/post a couple of months ago, I was intrigued and disappointed at the same time. Intrigued because this is such a fun way to combine the joy of receiving a parcel with blogging events. Disappointed because these event are geographically restricted to our fellow food bloggers in Europe and the US. You can imagine how excited I was when I learned that Sam will be hosting the inaugural Canadian Blogging By Post!
I'm a veteran in baking and packaging holiday cookies so my first thought was to make a batch of my signature chocolate espresso cookies for this event. When I mentioned this idea to my brother, our conversation went something like this:
Candy: You know, I want to make a batch of my signature cookies.
T: You mean the dark mocha cookies that you flatten with a fork?
Candy: Huh? What fork? I'm thinking of the Chewy Chocolate Chips Walnut Espresso Cookies...the one that we eat even before they cool down!
T: Ooooh, that one. Well, that's really only my second favourite...
At this point, I realized that perhaps my "signature" cookies recipe isn't such a signature item after all. Add to my dismay that I actually lost the book with the dark mocha cookies recipe, I had to dig deep to decide what to make for CBBP. As I aimlessly leaf through my old Martha Stewart Living magazines, I came across a feature on fruitcake back in December 2000. Granted, ordinary fruitcake doesn't really generate any excitements. However, what caught my eye was their Chocolate Panforte. It doesn't require aging, it is sturdy enough to withstand postal delivery, and most importantly, the recipe looks delicious.
I have adapted the original recipe to highlight my favourite complementary flavour for chocolate--orange. Be sure to use the best ingredients you can afford for this panforte. Trust me, you won't regret it. This panforte is best enjoyed in small skinny wedges with a shot of strong espresso. Personally, I even like to dunk the cookie in the coffee but I think that's just me...
Ingredients
- 113g whole hazelnuts
- 85g candied orange peel, diced
- 2tbsp Grand Marnier
- 85g unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped *
- 35g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped **
- 130g plus 1/2tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2tsp ground cinnamon ***
- 215g flavourful honey ****
- 135g light-brown sugar
- 1/2tsp best-quality cocoa powder
* I used Scharffen Berger
** I used Lindt Excellence 70%
*** I used Ceylon cinnamon
**** I used half chestnut honey and half miel de sapin
Method
- Preheat oven to 350F. Bake hazelnut for 10 minute and remove the skin. Set aside. Line two 6" round cake pans with parchment paper.
- Reduce oven to 300F. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped chocolate, candied orange peel, Grand Marnier, and hazelnuts. In a small mixing bowl, sift together 130g of all-purpose flour with 1/2tsp of cinnamon.
- In a small saucepan, combine honey and brown sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the honey into the mixing bowl with fruit and nut. Stir to combine. Gently fold in flour. Pour mixture into the prepared cake pans. Each pan should take about 400g of batter. Smooth batter with wet fingers.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1/2tbsp of flour, 1tsp of cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Sift over batter. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Unmold when cake is completely cool and gently brush off flour coating. This cake is ready to eat as soon as it cools.
Personally, I think the best part about CBBP is that fact that I get to wrap up my little care package all nice and pretty. Gift wrapping is one of my favourite hobbies so I was looking forward to receiving my recipient's information so I could start wrapping. I wouldn't reveal the content of the package because I don't want to ruin the surprise but suffice to say, I had so much fun packing the goodies. 
I used a green with white polka dot tissue paper to wrap the panforte. By stroke of luck, I have a round cream-and-brown box that fits the panforte perfectly. I decorated the lid of the box with a strip of the same tissue paper and wrap the box with a dark chocolate brown satin ribbon. The "W" stamp in the middle of the box is the initial of my last name which I use on all of my gifts. The other goodies in the care package are also wrapped with the same material for a unified look and feel. I hope my recipient will like it!
