I have loved (and hated) all of the chocolate goodies that have been at my house recently, but these might just be my favorite and a recipe I can see myself going back to the most often.  These would make a terrific Valentine’s treat, but really a wonderful cookie for anytime.

A new friend of mine made these as treats for after a morning TV segment that I was lucky to be a part of, and after practically inhaling my cookie I immediately asked her for the recipe.  Sometimes I forget how good a chocolate cookie can be and often opt for chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin when I’m going to make cookies.  But these cookies might become my new go-to. They are thick and brownie like in texture in the center, yet slightly crunchy on the top and edges.  The nuts add terrific flavor and using a mix of chocolate chips makes for a truly amazing cookie.

I made a batch and boxed up a few for Carson’s teachers at school for Valentine’s Day.  When I went to pick him up his teacher said they were amazing and evil.  “Evil” is one of the best compliments when it comes to baked goods, at least in my opinion.

The batter for these cookies is more involved than some, but is still not intense by any means.  After I scooped the first batch the batter began to really thicken up, which makes for a bit of a difficult and messy time getting it scooped out.  It was hard on my cookie scoop to the point that I worried it might break.  Thankfully it didn’t.  But even if it had it would’ve been a small price to pay!

Chocolate and Pecan Brownie Cookies

From Natalie

Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 4 ounces of chocolate (70% cacoa or unsweetened squares) chopped
• 3 cups chocolate chips (semi sweet or a combination of semi sweet, dark and milk chocolate) divided
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
2. Melt butter, chopped chocolate and 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips in a heavy saucepan set over low heat.  Stir until everything has melted together, then let cool to room temperature.
3. In a small bowl whisk together four, powder and salt.  Set aside.
4. In a large bowl beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until well combined.  Add in dry ingredients until just combined, then beat in melted chocolate until well combined.
5. Mix in the rest of the chocolate chips and the pecans.
6. Drop by large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets, 9 cookies per sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, until tops are set and cracking.  Cool for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.