This is a delightfully chewy cookie, very much like a brownie. I adapted the classic recipe with the nuts and chocolate chips because those were garnishes we added to this cookie in Colonial Williamsburg, where I was a baker. The dough's ability to hold in the refrigerator is convenient during the holidays, when there is never enough time to whip up yet another batch of cookies!
The baking time is crucial in this recipe. You will have to literally tear a cookie apart to learn how to recognize when they are done.
COOKIE RECIPE HELP
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
—–or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into measuring cup and level to rim
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
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powdered sugar, sifted – for rolling the dough before baking.
INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixing bowl, mix the oil and melted chocolate, add the eggs and yolk and mix until combined. Add vanilla and stir in the sugar and salt. Scrape the bowl and stir in the flour, baking powder, when absorbed, fold in the nuts and chocolate chips.
Refrigerate the dough overnight. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop the dough with a small cookie scoop (I use either a #100 (smallest) or #70 (slightly bigger, but still small) or the two teaspoon method. Drop the dough into a bowl with the powdered sugar, roll it around to coat heavily, pick up and shake off the excess, place on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper or on a greased baking sheet. Place on the cookie sheet with some room to spread, about 2 inches between each ball of dough.
Bake for 8-9 minutes, but keep a close eye after 7 minutes for the small cookies. If they overbake, they lose their chewiness and become hard very quickly. To test if they are done, you will need to look in the center of a crack, you want to see moisture beading, but not gooey raw dough underneath. If you are baking a cookie like this for the first time, I would recommend to literally open a cookie up and look into the center. Simply take a knife and lift the top from the center. If the center is set, yet the cookie is moist, it is done, take the pan out immediately. Once the cookie settles and cools, it will retain it's chewy texture and not dry out so quickly.
Cool the cookies on the pan if you are baking on parchment, if you are using the greased cookie sheet, you will want to let the cookies cool for about 1-2 minutes, then lift with a spatula and finish cooling on a rack.
STORAGE
This dough can be stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days and you can bake the cookies fresh as you need them! They can be stored in a container for about a week, but they will dry out eventually, it is better to store the dough and bake as you need them. I do not recommend freezing this dough.
The cookies themselves, when frozen, lose the nice powdery finish and the outside becomes gooey.
