Control Issues - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are a couple things I like to have in the freezer with a holiday weekend coming up.  A good loaf of banana or cranberry bread, sliced and wrapped, ready to go camping, to a picnic, or serve as a smoothie companion for houseguest breakfasts.   

The other freezer item is a batch of cookies, all baked, and stowed away in ziploc bags.  If someone drops by as you're rolling out the grill, you don't have to worry about producing a dessert as well as dinner.   

Toll House cookies are perfect.  They're my all time favorite standby.  A bit humble as desserts go, but what guest doesn't love seeing a big platter piled high with chocolate chip cookies, no matter how much dinner they've eaten?  

(Just don't add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or they'll never go home.) 

 

It's hard to imagine a cookie better than the traditional Toll House. 

I think I've found one, though.  Didn't have to go far, either.

Toll House cookies, but all chocolate.  With chocolate chips.  

Uh oh.  Trouble.

It was all there but the walnuts.  We can take care of that. 

The only real issue is how to eat just one, and not the whole darned plateful.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts

(aka, "Double-Chocolate Dream Cookies" on the Nestle bag.)

2 1/4 c. flour

1/2 cup Nestle Baking Cocoa

(As an equal opportunity choclaholic, I felt free to use Hershey's Cocoa.)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter  (Allow butter to soften a few minutes, cold doesn't work as well.)

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

2 cups Nestle semi-sweet chocolate morsels 

1-2 cups walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

(Or, if you want to follow directions, go for 375.  Truthfully, I didn't see that 375 until just now as I was referring back to the recipe.  Oops!  I've been baking the Toll House cookie recipe at 350 since the sixth grade, when my mother first let me start using the oven.  Maybe next time I will try it using the directions.  I have a feeling either way works fine.)

  

Combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Beat butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until creamy. 

Beat in eggs, until light and fluffy. 

Gradually beat in flour mixture. 

Stir in chocolate chips and a cup of walnuts.  (Or two cups if you like them as much as we do.)

Here the recipe says to drop by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Do that if you like small, meager, stingy looking cookies.  But if you like big, generous, rich looking cookies, double the amount of dough for each cookie.  At least.  So it ends up about six cookies to a standard sized cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  (Or 350 for 10-11 minutes.)

Until cookies are puffed.  Or, if you like them to come out a little crispy, until they lose their shine.

Cool on cookie sheet for a minute then remove and let some of them cool completely.  (Eat some of them warm, of course.) 

Pop whatever's left into ziploc bags and stash them way in the back of the freezer.  

Now go ride your bike or something.  Just do your best to forget they are there, until the guests drop by.