Chocolate Whoppers

Some years I'd rather have these than a birthday cake. They've gone over extremely well every time I've taken them to other people, too. These are like flat, mocha nut brownies. They're going with us camping tomorrow.

Recipe by Maida Heatter, in the September 2000 issue of Food & Wine.

1 cup pecan halves (4 ounces)
1 1/4 cups walnut halves, broken into large pieces (4 ounces)
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 ounces chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and bake for about 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until nuts are lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer the pecans to a plate to cool completely, then break them into large pieces. (It doesn't say, but I toast the walnuts, too)

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates with the butter and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, combine the eggs with the sugar, instant espresso and vanilla and beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture and beat at medium speed just until blended. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, walnuts and toasted pecans.

4. Scoop up the cookie dough with a 1/3-cup measure and drop 5 mounds of dough on each baking sheet; space the mounds as far from each other as possible. Bake the cookies on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 17 minutes, or until the tops are dry and shiny; shift the sheets halfway through baking. Slide the cookies on the parchment onto wire racks and let cool completely. Remove the cookies from the paper and invert them onto the racks to allow the bottoms to dry slightly.

NOTES:

I've made made many more smaller cookies out of smaller scoops of dough. Baking time is not much less. Check them. Also the recipe doubles easily to make lots. The dough is very soft (almost runny) when first made. If chilled, it gets very firm. Choose what you'd rather work with. And watch out, it's addictive. Boy, would this be good folded into ice cream...