Brown Bag Cookies

These cookies were sort of the inspiration for trying to share recipes more publicly. They were a hit a week and a half ago when I brought them to the brown bag. Makes a lot, but the recipe is safely halved. It's generally a pretty resilient recipe. I've screwed up while making it in a number of ways and they have always come out delicious. The recipe comes from American Classics from the Editors of Cook's Illustrated.

Thick and chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

MAKES ABOUT 3 1/2 DOZEN COOKIES

To melt the chocolate in a microwave, heat at 50 percent power for 2 minutes, stir, then continue heating at 50 percent power for 1 more minute. If not completely melted, heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds at 50 percent power. We recommend using a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to scoop the dough. Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.

INGREDIENTS

• 2cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 2teaspoons baking powder
• 1teaspoon table salt
• 16ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
• 4large eggs
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 10   tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
• 1 1/2cups light brown sugar
• 1/2cup granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork and set aside.
2. 2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.
4. 4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
5. 5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula.
   
   
   Variation: Thick and Chewy Triple-Chocolate Cookies
   If you like bursts of warm melted chocolate in your cookies, include chocolate chips in the batter.
   Follow the recipe for Thick and Chewy Double-Chocolate Cookies, using a wooden spoon to stir 12 ounces (about 2 cups) of semisweet chocolate chips into the batter after the dry ingredients are incorporated. The addition of the chips will slightly increase the yield of the cookies.