Mama Needs Chocolate!

Have you ever had one of those days?  Well, mine has been one of those years!  However, one lesson I learned from my mother was...chocolate always makes it better or at least tolerable.  My mom loved chocolate and I remember when I gave her the first box of Godiva chocolates for her birthday.  She said she hid them in her bedroom and allowed herself one a day so they would last longer.  My family will attest to my chocolate stashes; what can I say, it's in the genes.

Today, I thought about creating a chocolate cookie to satisfy even the worse days.  I looked through my pantry and pulled out bittersweet, German's, unsweetened, semi-sweet, and white chocolate; pretty much every kind I had.  Although, my purest daughter, Erin, would argue that white chocolate is not chocolate...and she would be right.  I also decided to add some nuts, toasted to bring out their essence.  Now, all I had to do is add butter, sugar and some flour and voila!

I bit into the cookie and have decided it's a perfect chocolate cookie for those days, weeks, months, or even years you'd rather forget.

Oh! So Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup unsalted butter
5.3 oz. (Green & Black's Organic) 72% Bittersweet Chocolate bar, chopped
2.25 oz. German's Chocolate, chopped
2 oz. Unsweetened chocolate, chopped
In a double boiler, melt the above ingredients and set aside to cool.
 

Preheat oven 350F-degrees.  Toast pecans (approx. 1 1/2 cups) for 8 minutes or until golden and you begin to smell the aroma.


Coarsely chop.  Measure (after you've chopped them) 1 cup of pecans.

4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar

In a KitchenAid, using the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemony.

1 T Vanilla Extract

2 tsp. Espresso Powder

Add the extract and espresso powder and mix well.  Add the cooled melted chocolate and combine thoroughly. 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, using a spatula to combine.  Fold in nuts and additional chips.  I used:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chunks

The "dough" resembles more a batter, but don't put in the refrigerator.  Set aside for 20 minutes while the chocolate sets.  When batter has set-up, use a 1/4-cup-size-scoop for cookie size. Place on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until tops are set and shiny.  

Find yourself a quiet corner, grab a couple of cookies and just relax.  Enjoy!