Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

It's been a while since I posted but the busy birthday season is upon me and I'll be posting a lot over the next few weeks. Between birthdays, BBQs and other random summer events, I'll be one busy lady. I have another ten recipes to post before the end of the month alone!
These cookies were baked to share at my son's end of season baseball potluck. The potluck was fun, but the weather could have been a bit warmer. I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that 55 degrees is considered normal for June in Seattle. Brr! Everyone seemed to like them, but I thought that they were a bit too white chocolaty. A pound and a half of white chocolate seemed like too much and it was. I should have trusted my instincts but Ina Garten's recipes rarely lets me down. I mean, don't get me wrong, they were good (I ate several) but they were just very, very sweet. The chocolate cookie part was very good and I think the recipe has a lot of potential. Perhaps next time I'll replace the half the white chocolate with pecans, chocolate nibs or semisweet chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless....


Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Yields: approximately 5-6 dozen

Copyright 2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties!

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate chips (or you can get creative! such as...
 - or -
1 cups of white chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate nibs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat Mat or parchment paper, using small (1 inch) cream scooper or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.