What’s Cooking?! Chocolate Whoppers…aka. my newest downfall!

This morning when I woke up it was still raining…and my house smelled like poop from our septic tank issues. 

UN-Awesome.

Since I really didn’t do much of anything productive yesterday with the rain, I thought I’d kill 2 birds with one stone today…make something to show for and abolish the literal crappy smell in my house.

Baking time!!!

Little did I know the problem these cookies would cause for me today.  I’m so glad I gave most of the pie that I made the other day away…or all of this yummy goodness around would be seriously problematic!  I took an entire tin of these cookies to lunch at McDonalds with friends today…I have to get them out of my house.  I mean it…it’s like having Cadbury Cream Eggs around….not a redeemable thing about them for my waistline!  My friends all agreed….these things are so good they’re bad!

If you’ve never heard of Sara Foster, then you should look her up.  She has a couple of restaurants called Foster’s Market in the Raleigh/Chapel Hill, NC area and a couple of cookbooks to her name that never disappoint. I promise! 

<————– This recipe for Chocolate Whoppers is from this cookbook which you can get for a good deal HERE.

You will love me for this…but you will also hate me for this.  They are just ridiculously good…and I’ve never really considered myself a chocolate chocolate chip cookie kind of person.  I stand completely….

reformed!

Without further ado…. I introduce you to the newest nemesis to hit my kitchen this week…

The Chocolate Whopper!

6 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably high-quality baking chocolate, such as Valrhona or Callebaut), chopped into large chunks
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into large chunks
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (I didn’t have this so I just ground some coffee super fine….they are still TO DIE FOR!)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour (yes you read this right!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets and set aside. (I just lined sheets with parchment paper)

3. Melt together the semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate chunks, and butter in a double boiler over low heat until just melted, stirring occasionally. (Note: Do not overheat; remove from the heat as soon as chocolate has melted.) Stir to blend the chocolate and butter, and set aside. (I cheat…and do not use a double boiler…I just stir constantly and do this over low heat on the stove.)

4. Cream together the eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and mix until thick and creamy.

5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix. Set aside.

6. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and blend until well combined. Add the flour mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moist.

7. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. (Note: The batter will be very moist—similar to the consistency of cake batter.)

8. Scoop the batter with a ¼-cup (2-ounce) ice cream scoop or by the heaping tablespoon and drop onto the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. (Note: Bake right away, before the chocolate begins to cool and harden.) (I didn’t make them this big, so I got a little over 2 dozen total)

9. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, turning the baking sheets once during the cooking time. The cookies will still be very gooey inside and soft, but do not overcook or the cooled cookies will be dry. Cool about 10 minutes on the baking sheets before gently removing the whoppers to a baking rack to cool completely.

Don’t hate me because these are beautiful!
Much love,

Logan