CHOCOLATE COOKIES TO DIE FOR ( posted by Bill but source unknown)

Me at age 1










8 oz. semi sweet chocolate(chopped or in chip form)
4 T butter, unsalted

Melt in a double boiler or in microwave watching carefully. Do not over heat.
allow to cool to just warm, but still sort of liquid.

Beat together briefly:

2 eggs
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 t vanilla

The sugar should dissolve before you stop.

Combine(I sift together):

2/3 cup flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt.

Mix the chocolate into the egg mixture, by hand, just till smooth.

Add the dry ingredients and mix by hand till just combined.

Fold in:

1 1/2 additional cups semi sweet chocolate chunks or chips.
You can vary this with other chips like peanut butter, white chocolate or just a bit of coconut or espresso beans with or without a chocolate coating.

Chill the batter for about 20 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Drop on a buttered baking sheet or on parchment paper by the rounded teaspoon.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 min. They should have a glossy surface but rather cracked on top when done. Do not over bake these. Basically, if they begin drying a bit on top and they lift off the paper when you lift with your finger tips, they are done. I use a jelly roll pan for this. It is just what I have, no particular reason. I slide the cookies, paper and all, off the side of the pan on to the counter so I can put the next batch on. If they go over the raised edge of the pan like a teeter totter lifting off the paper, I know they are done. They are very delicate so don't handle them till they cool.

You could make these even richer with a filling of peanut butter, Nutella or ice cream between two cookies. These are truly over the top!
They can be fairly flat if the chocolate was not cooled, if needed, add another 1/4 cup of flour. (Well cooled chocolate will eliminate the need to alter the flour.) They will make higher, dryer mounds and are more like a brownie.

If you want to make these truly over the top, try making a butter-cream frosting using orange juice instead of the normal liquid and add the grated zest of an orange. Spread a thin layer on the bottom of a cookie(or a thick one if you don't mind the ooze) and place a second cookie on top....Oh...My...God!

I often put a single walnut piece on top.
Also, if you have an adult audience, try putting a single chocolate covered espresso bean on top. Another addition might be a small strip of candied orange peel. This might be better pressed into the cookies right out of the oven rather than letting it bake.

Try substituting butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips