(From Joanne Fluke’s “Carrot Cake Murder.”)

2 one-ounce squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon red food coloring

3/4 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1 cup (a 6-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.

Melt baking chocolate for 90 seconds on HIGH. Stir until smooth. Set aside.

Combine the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about one minute.

Add baking soda and salt. Resume medium speed for another minute.

Add the egg and beat on medium until the batter is smooth, approximately one minute.

Add red food coloring and mix for about 30 seconds.

Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Then add the melted chocolate and mix again for another minute on medium speed.

Shut off the mixer and scrape down the bowl again. At low speed, mix in only one cup of the flour.

When the flour is incorporated, mix in the sour cream.

Scrape down the bowl again and add the rest of the flour. Beat until the flour is fully incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and give it a stir with a spoon. Mix in the chocolate chips by hand.

Use a teaspoon to spoon the dough onto the parchment-lined cookie sheets, 12 cookies to a standard-sized sheet. (If the dough is too sticky for you to work with, chill it for a half-hour or so, and try again.)

Bake the cookies at 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes, or until they rise and become firm. (Mine took exactly 9 minutes.)

Slide the parchment from the cookie sheets and onto a wire rack. Let the cookies cool on the rack while the next sheet of cookies is baking. When the next sheet of cookies is ready, pull the cooled cookies onto the counter or table and slide the parchment paper with the hot cookies onto the rack. Keep alternating until all the dough has been baked.

When all the cookies are cool, peel them off the parchment paper and put them on waxed paper to frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes 3 dozen

https://hannah-swensen-mystery.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Velvet_Cookies