Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

These cookies were a huge hit with everyone who ate them! The cookie is a bit denser than a normal cookie but still feels somehow fluffy, and isn't as sweet as you think it would be being so crammed full of chocolate. They were a great success! The number of cookies you get really depends on how big you decide to make them; I got about 5 dozen, which is quite a lot. The secret is to use really good quality cocoa: it should be dark with a deep smell to it.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup butter

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (I decided these were optional)

you'll also need:

a bunch of cookie sheets lined with foil

wire racks

metal spatula

1 medium and 1 large mixing bowls

mixing spoon

electric mixer

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees ( I did this step when I was ready to start putting the cookies on sheets to avoid heating the whole house for too long).

2. in the smaller mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix together until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

3. in the larger mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with the electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs (one at a time) and the vanilla and mix thoroughly. A nifty trick is to pre-crack the eggs into a measuring cup and add the vanilla to that, allowing you to skip a step. Baking with eggs works better when they have come to room temperature.

4. add the dry ingredients to this and mix with a wooden or plastic mixing spoon until the dough seems completely combined. To this add the chocolate chips (and walnuts if you're using them, which I didn't). Stir well.

5. drop the cookies on the sheets by spoonfuls, making sure they are evenly spaced out. Bake them for 10-12 minutes (mine took only 9, so be careful). Allow them to cool for one minute before removing them with a metal spatula and leaving them to cool completely on wire racks. Interestingly enough, these cookies were even better the day after they were made than the day itself. Good luck waiting!

I got this recipe from Just Chocolate Cookbook, which was a Christmas gift a few years ago from my friend Gail. Thank you Gail!