Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My husband is always looking for new chocolate recipes for me to prepare and with that thought in mind, he discovered this recipe in the AAA VIA magazine for Idaho. This particular issue is the November and December 2012 issue and the recipe comes from the Pearl Bakery in Portland, Oregon.
This recipe is a little more work than the traditional Toll House cookie recipe, but it is really worth the extra effort. We think the addition of fresh orange zest with the chocolate chunks makes this recipe a keeper. When the cookies are warmed in the microwave for 15 seconds they are so rich and gooey; a real taste treat for the family. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated, about 2 tsps.
1 large egg
2 tsps. vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup pecan halves, lightly toasted (I broke them into smaller pieces after toasting)
2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Blend on low speed until thoroughly mixed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice, as needed. The batter will be stiff.
4. Use a large spoon to stir in the pecans and chocolate chunks.
5. Divide the dough into 1/4-cup measurements. Space the dough about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten them slightly. Chill for 15 minutes. (The chilling helps prevent flat cookies.)
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the cookies until they just start to turn golden brown and are still a little soft in the center, 15 - 20 minutes. Let sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two, then remove them to wire racks to cool.

Serves: 21 (they are large cookies and I figured them to be 295 calories each. A dessert per cookie!)

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