Brownie Cookies

Last night our oldest daughter (11) asked if she could bake a batch of cookies. Since our pantry has been empty of that sort of sweet for most of the week....a cardinal sin around here, I told her we would bake when I returned home from soccer practice with the boys. She rustled through a couple of cookbooks and found the recipe she wanted to bake and I left for soccer. Well, soccer was running a little long so I called home to have my little baker get all the ingredients out and begin to melt the chocolate and butter on the stove so that it had time to cool before I got home. Let me preface to all you worriers....I'm not a negligent Mom....Marty was home to oversee any cooking taking place. I explained that she needed to get a saucepan out to melt her ingredients. She was trying to verify which pan was a saucepan, "Mom, does it have one or two handles?". "Honey, it has one handle and is the pan I use to heat veggies on the stove". Her again, "What size?" My reply, "The second to the smallest should work fine." "O.k., thanks Mom". Well, soccer ended and as I drove home I was gearing up to bake a batch of chocolaty cookies and experience some quality bonding time with my daughter. I walk into the kitchen and past the stove top and notice something strange. I asked, "Why did you pour the chocolate mixture into that bowl to cool?" "Mom, that's the bowl I used to melt everything. You told me to use the bowl with one handle......" UGH!! She had used the second to the smallest mixing bowl with one handle (actually a ring) to melt the chocolate!!! Thankfully the bowl is metal and our stove top is glass so nothing was harmed during the process. Oh, what a HUGE mess we could have had on our hands. One of my dear friends has a great saying in times such as these, "Remember, you're creating memories Christy." What a wise and wonderful friend.

Now do you want to know how these cookies turned out? My little baker chose a fantastic recipe. In every fudgy, chewy, brownie like bite is a divine taste of double chocolaty, chippy heaven!!! These are a very rich tasting cookie...but check out the reason...4 squares of chocolate, 3 CUPS of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 stick of butter. OH MY...I think my thighs will be screaming for me to hide these cookies from myself!!! I'm already thinking of ways to switch this recipe up by adding vanilla chips or butterscotch or peanut butter. The variations are endless.

So, go make sure you have lots and lots of ice cold milk, bake these yummy cookies and then sit down and have a nice, long argument with your thighs over how many cookies you should or shouldn't be eating!!

Brownie Cookies

1/2 cup butter

4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels, divided

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chopped pecans, toasted (I omitted these)

Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, and 1 1/2 cups chocolate morsels in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate melt; cool.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add dry ingredients to egg mixture, beating well. Add chocolate mixture; beat well. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate morsels and pecans.

Drop by 2 tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: about 2 1/2 dozen.

Source: Southern Living Incredible Cookies