These cookies are the ones dreams are made of… fudge-y and rich, like a brownie walking around in cookie clothing. Chewy Chocolate Cookies are best with milk, better put, you’ll need milk with these cookies. Though there are a few extra steps compared to other cookie recipes, like you have to melt the chocolate and toast the walnuts, the recipe is still really easy and the best part is, no refrigeration is needed for the dough. Whip up the ingredients, then bake, then enjoy. Satisfyingly simple.
About the Recipe
I spotted these beautiful red walnuts in the clearance section of my grocery store. They seemed apt given Valentine’s Day is this weekend. Of course you can use any walnuts. For chocolate, you can use chips or bark, just make sure its 60% or higher and bittersweet. For melting the chocolate, I used a double broiler but you can also stick one smaller pot inside of another over water or the same with a heat proof bowl. The cookies are ready when the tops are crackled and glossy, about 14 minutes.
Cooking with a Toddler
If I’m cooking and Everett is not asleep he’s most likely with me. If his step stool isn’t in sight, he’ll climb up the side of our island until he’s high enough to see what I’m doing and get his hands into whatever he can, as fast as he can.
I succomb to his eagerness to play a part instead of fighting it which means, things get real messy around our kitchen. Stirring quickly becomes sneaking bites, and measuring turns into a flour party.
I try and strategically place a few bites nearby that he can nibble on as we cook. In this case, I put some of the toasted walnuts in a small bowl so he could forage without getting sass from me and without overloading on cookie dough.
When it’s all done, cookies are in the oven, then we wait. Learning some patience here. Cookies come out and we wait again for them to cool. More patience.
Then we sit down, with a glass of milk of course, and enjoy the fruits (or chocolate) of our labor. Together. In our very messy kitchen.
While I will say it’s much easier to cook without Everett and less of a kitchen disaster, seeing him with chocolate smeared across his face and all over his hands from a bite he snuck, makes the memory well worth the extra work. And, I imagine that a few years down the road I’ll actually be better off for it, with a nimble little helper in my kitchen.
Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts,* toasted and roughly chopped
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 60%
- 1/4 cup butter, room temp
- 1 cups sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast them while the oven is pre-heating. They are ready when starting to turn golden and very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, roughly chop, and set aside.
- Place the eggs in a bowl and cover with hot tap water to warm them up. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
- Melt the chocolate in a double broiler or in a heat-proof metal bowl placed over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted, then set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar on in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the warmed eggs one at a time until fully combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 4 minutes. The mixture will gain some volume during this time and become very creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the melted chocolate and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture. Mix just until the flour is barely incorporated. Using a spatula, gently fold in the walnuts and until evenly distributed. The batter at this point should be glossy and thick.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment (do not use Silpats or other baking mats for this recipe; the cookies will stick). Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. If you don't use up all the batter in one round, leave it out at room temperature while the first batch bakes — refrigerating makes the batter stiffer and less easy to work with.
- Bake the cookies until crackled on top, set around the edges, but still soft in the middle, 14 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to wire racks to finish cooling using a thin spatula.
- Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
I can’t wait to make these! Do you think they would hold up ok without any nuts? I want to pass them around for Valentine’s Day but want to avoid any allergic reactions. Thanks!
Mel, I think they will be find without nuts. Let me know if you tried them and how they turned out for you!
As hard as it is sometimes, I like working with my toddler in the kitchen too. The skills have to be learned somehow….it may be messy now, but one day they’ll be baking cookies for us! 😉
Laurel, yes yes!! They will be cooking for us one day. Won’t that be fabulous 🙂
I have never seen red walnuts or such a cute kitchen helper!!!!
Thanks so much Debra 🙂
Bravo for these cookies! It was the best thing I have ever tasted. And I have no luck with cookies normally, but these were so easy to make that I could not believe it.
This makes me so happy!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. They are a favorite of ours as well!
Could you put peanut butter chips in them, and no nuts?
Could you put peanut butter chips in them, and no nuts? I’ve never posted a comment on this sight.
I think PB chips and no nuts would be delightful! Let me know how they turn out.
I’m confused with the butter how much exactly?
Sorry about the confusion. It’s 1/4 cup which is 1/2 stick of butter.