All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

chocolate chunk cookies with toasted pecans







Last night, I was flipping through Peggy Cullen's cookie book, Got Milk? and came across these simply amazing looking cookies. Deep, dark, chocolatey, with the sweetness of toasted fresh pecans I just got from a friend in Alabama - well, let's say it does the word "decadence" justice.
Apparently, I'm still on my "I love anything chocolate" kick!
The recipe worked perfectly, but the book says the recipe makes 28 cookies - using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, the total was only 19 - so if you need to make a lot, doubling the recipe makes sense.
To make:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line two cookie sheets with foil or parchment.
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 large egg
1 cup King Arthur flour
1/2 t. baking soda
6 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate ( I used one 4 ounce bar of Ghirardelli 60% cacao and it worked fine)
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
Toast the pecans in a toaster oven, or the regular oven - just don't forget they're in there! Toast just enough for them to smell deliciously toasty. Cool pecans well before adding to dough.
In mixer bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla until creamy.
Beat in the cocoa, then the egg. Scrape down the mixer bowl and beat briefly again.
Add the flour and baking soda and mix on low until combined.
Mix in the cooled pecans and the chopped chocolate.
Using a 1 1/2" ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of dough about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake for exactly 10 minutes . Remove baking sheet and let cool five minutes, before removing cookies with a spatula to a cooling rack.
This makes 19 cookies, using the ice cream scoop - 19 delicious, stupendous chocolatey cookies!
Enjoy!
Featured on TasteSpotting!

10 comments:

Maria said...

Love chocolate cookies! They look divine!

Elle said...

ooooh, these look fabulously chocolatey!

katrina said...

Maria, I don't know where this sudden chocolate obsession of mine came from ( I could always take it or leave it), but these cookies were the BEST! Thanks!

katrina said...

Elle - woooo, are they ever! Just the right size, too, so you don't feel too guilty eating one. Or maybe two :)

Barb said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmm! I think I can even smell that heavenly, chocolate-y deliciousness. (These look like a candidate for Tastespotting - yes???)

That cookie cookbook looks like it might be interesting, too. Any other recipes catch your fancy? I'll have to look for it at my local bookstore.

Is it warming up at all by you now? Is spring in sight?

katrina said...

Hi Barb! What would I do without your reminder to submit to TS? I'm on it, Mam.
I made some fabulous chocolate swirled meringues from that book - I blogged it I think last summer? Really nice meringues!
Hope it's as pretty where you are as it is here - sunny, gorgeous, about mid fifties!

Barb said...

Happy I could help! I'd like to help eat those cookies too! (ha!ha!) I remember the meringues, but I didn't remember that they were from the same book. Did I mention that cookies are my favorite?? Yum!

Supposed to 59 today! Sunny and blue sky at 8:30am - so far, so good!

Happy Spring to you!

katrina said...

Hi again, Barb! Since you weren't around to help me (not) eat them, I gave away several to friends - in the post office ( they LOVE cookies, too) and on the sidewalk in town. Very appreciated! And I appreciate not expanding my middle. Hope you get to try these sometime - they are the best chocolate-chocolate chip cookies I've made yet, I think. Gray here, chilly, but the snow is slowly melting.

Julie Jams said...

Fabulous recipe.

katrina said...

Thanks, Julie! I agree - just the most fantastic cookie I've ever made - glad you enjoyed!