Double Chocolate Cookies

Holiday baking is quite new to me – it’s not something we do here in Brazil, but from the moment I started reading foodblogs – and then blogging – I thought that it would be a lovely tradition for me to adopt.
Last year I made a couple of cookies and some truffles to give as gifts and it was such a great experience that I intend to do that again this year. And the next. And the next.

I saved these cookies on my del.icio.us on Nov, 24 and immediately printed the recipe – I thought it was really worth trying. I made up my mind a couple of days later, when I saw that Jenjen had baked them too – and her cookies looked even more beautiful and delicious than the ones I’d seen on Martha’s website!!

The recipe is not difficult to follow; the only problem was that I started shaping the dough using the ice cream scoop I have – and that is definitely NOT a good ice cream scoop to shape cookie dough with. The cookies were too big and I did not like them. I shaped the remaining dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon and they were still big, but good-for-holding-without-breaking-in-half big.

I baked my cookies for 2 minutes longer than the time stated in the recipe – they were sort of fudgy in the middle and slightly crispy on the edges. Really, really good. :)

Double Chocolate Cookies

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (45g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse salt – I used Maldon
224g (½ pound) good-quality milk chocolate, 112g (4 ounces) coarsely chopped and 112g (4 ounces) cut into 0.60cm (¼-in) chunks
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter
1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 165ºC/325ºF. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt 112g (4 ounces) coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; let cool slightly.

Put chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Using a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 5cm (2 inches) apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft). Let cool on parchment on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Makes about 3 dozen – I got 6 giant cookies and 24 large ones.