Brownie Cookies

These cookies are undergoing an identity crisis. They fall into what I lovingly refer to as hybrid baked goods. Kinda like rich cupcakes parading as healthy muffins or Gingered Carrot Cookies that were really like scones.

Here we have a brownie/cookie cross with the original name "fudge drops" (recipe from King Arthur Flour). This is a good name to describe their papery thin tops and dense, chewy interiors, but the reaction I got when people took a bite was, "Wow, they taste just like a brownie!" ... and so "Brownie Cookies" they have become.

They spread a lot and do not need to be flattened prior to baking or else they may get too thin.

Brownie Cookies
Makes 24 | King Arthur Flour

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt together the chocolate and butter, avoid heating the chocolate too much and possibly burning it.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs till they’re thoroughly combined using a wooden spoon, not a mixer (mixers are too powerful incorporate too much air which leads to a cakier less chewy cookie). Add the hot melted chocolate, then stir in the remaining ingredients, including the chocolate chips, if using. Refrigerate the batter like dough for 1 hour, to make it easier to handle. Do not skip this step!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. Drop the cookie dough by the tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, dipping cookie scoop in water between scoops if dough is sticking too much. Leave 2″ between the dough balls. Top each with a walnut half. Resist the the urge to flatten them - they’ll spread and flatten as they bake.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, until their tops are shiny and cracked. They won’t crack until the very end, so keep a close eye on them; when they’re cracked all the way across the top surface, they’re done. The point is, you want these baked all the way through, but just barely; additional baking makes them more crisp rather than chewy.