Dorie's Chocolate Chunkers

When I first picked up Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking: From My Home To Yours, this was the first recipe that really caught my attention.  I knew I would have to make these cookies!  Mine look nothing like hers, but I'm sure they taste every bit as good.  My Official Cookie Taster (my husband) says they are really good.  The only problem I ran into was not having enough chocolate chips.  So I used 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips instead of a whole cup.  I didn't have any bittersweet chocolate either, so I used 1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips (4 oz.) and 2 oz. of unsweetened chocolate instead of just one.  The cookies didn't spread as much as I expected they would, but otherwise they seem to have turned out just right.  I use a tablespoon sized mini ice cream scoop whenever I make drop cookies, and using that I was able to get 40 cookies out of this recipe.  It probably would have been a few more than that if I hadn't run out of chocolate.

Chocolate Chunkers

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chips or chunks

6 oz. premium quality milk or white chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 cup store-bought chips or chunks (I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts, preferably salted peanuts or toasted pecans

1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden) or finely chopped moist, plump dried apricots (I think sweetened dried cranberries would work well also)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder.
• Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler (set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water), stirring occasionally just until melted.  Chocolate and butter should be smooth and shiny, but not so hot that the butter separates.
• Remove the bowl from heat and set on the counter to cool.  Working with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, until they are pale and foamy.  Beat in the vanilla extract, then scrape down the bowl.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add the melted butter and chocolate mixture, mixing only until incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl again.
• On low speed, add the dry ingredients.  Mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick, smooth and shiny.  Scrape down the bowl, then add the semisweet chocolate chunks, milk (or white) chocolate chunks, nuts, and raisins.  You will have more crunchies than dough at this point.
• Drop dough by generous tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between the mounds of dough.   Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes.  The tops will look a little dry, but the centers will be soft.
• Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool.  When cooled, if the chocolate is still gooey and you'd like them firmer, just refrigerate for about 10 minutes.  

My cookies were not gooey, but tender and moist on the inside.  I baked them for the full 12 minutes.  I'll definitely be making this one again!  The next thing you know, there will be nothing but crumbs left.