Dark, Dark Chocolate (ethics & cookies)

I'll share a time-tested, favorite recipe from my collection, snipped from a Bon Appetit magazine back in the day. They're a rich, chewy delight. I've been making these cookies for 11 years; and I have made only 2 important changes. I don't usually make the "giant" size (1/4 cup of batter) referenced in the original title. But the most important change, I think, is using Fair Trade chocolate - both the chocolate chips and the chocolate-toffee bar.

I have mentioned the dark side of this fabulous substance called cocoa a few times before. And right on the heels of National Chocolate Day and on Halloween Day itself (National Candy Day?) it makes sense to revisit the issues.

This isn't just about fair wages. Child kidnapping, trafficking, and enslavement on cocoa farms in West Africa, particularly in Ivory Coast (by far the #1 supplier of cocoa to the world) continues to this day. Absurdly dangerous working conditions without pay for children 12-15 (and often younger!) who have been stolen from their families (or promised legitimate work with money sent home) are real- machetes, no shoes, and pesticides... and no schooling. They are bought (for life) for less than $240 Euros. Documentaries and investigative journalism have demonstrated that African locals know about the daily trafficking practice, including insiders in the chocolate industry and national and international law enforcement. Many chocolatiers simply deny the problem and/or distance themselves from the practices of the farms where their cocoa originates. Convenient, perhaps. And many consumers do the same. Just because we live continents away. What does it have to do with me?

Yes, it is cheaper and more convenient to buy chocolate from Hershey's, Nestle, and the like. But the truth is that we do have a choice. And though all of the chocolate industry players committed in 2001 to make dramatic changes in their practices, becoming slave-free by 2008, some chocolatiers have done better than others at their 2010 check-up. Check out this entire document if you have time, but I'll include the chart (below) showing (through 3rd party certifying boards) which chocolatiers have followed through on their commitment to fairly, humanely sourcing cocoa. The take home: do NOT buy Hershey's as they have made ZERO progress toward proving their ethics. Companies (such as Green & Black) with best practices in chocolate trading are in green.

Do you want to make an informed decision in your chocolate consumption? Don't let the issues themselves or the distance from your door overwhelm you. It might mean that you eat less chocolate and you will certainly pay more for it. But our pocketbooks speak volumes: it takes only a 25% shift in consumer spending to change industry! Ask your grocer to carry Fair Trade chocolate, then buy it when they listen. Check out this resource for a practical, step-wise approach to your chocolate consumption.

And then enjoy a bit of chocolate! Like these cookies...

Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Chocolate-Toffee Cookies

makes 3 dozen medium cookies

1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (chips or chopped)

1/4 c butter

1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 c brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

5 oz chocolate toffee bars (such as Green & Black), coarsely chopped

1 c walnuts (optional)

Melt chocolate with butter in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and incorporated. Cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients together.

Beat eggs and sugar until thick- 5min. Beat in warm chocolate and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredient mixture, then toffee and nuts (optional). Chill batter for 45 minutes (until firm).

Preheat oven to 350degF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Drop 1 Tbsp scoops of batter onto paper, 1 1/2" apart.

Bake until tops are just starting to crack (13-15 min). Cool briefly, then transfer gently to cooling racks.