Chocolate Cookies
NOTE: The
batter is fairly thin and needs refrigeration to firm it up and
prevent too much spreading in the oven. Even after chilling the
batter, these cookies bake up rather flat, but they stay chewy and
fudgy after they have cooled. Be careful not to overbake them as
the color does not serve as an indicator. Makes about 40
cookies.
16 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Melt 8 ounces chocolate chips with butter in double boiler until smooth. Set aside to cool.
2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Either by hand or with electric mixer, beat eggs with sugars until combined, about 1 minute. Stir in vanilla extract. Add melted chocolate and butter to egg mixture and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined, about 20 seconds. Stir in remaining 8 ounces chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until batter firms, at least 2 hours. (Batter can be refrigerated for one day.)
4. Adjust oven racks to upper-and lower-middle positions. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Drop batter by tablespoons onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, spacing pieces of dough 11/2 to 2 inches apart. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking time, until edges of cookies are just beginning to set and centers are still soft and puffy, 11 to 12 minutes. Slide parchment paper with cookies onto cooling rack. When cooled, peel cookies from parchment.
VARIATIONS:
Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips and Macadamia Nuts
Substitute 8 ounces white chocolate chips for 8 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips. Stir into finished batter along with 1 cup chopped salted macadamia nuts.
Chocolate Cookies with Orange Zest
Add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest to finished batter along with chocolate chips.