Triple Threat Dark Chocolate Cookies

These cookies have a great name that promises to deliver a lot of chocolate – and there is no disappointment when you take a big bite, because these definitely pack a chocolate punch. The inspiration for this recipe came from a Sunset magazine article that featured a Portland, Oregon bakery – The Sugar Cube – recipe for Triple Threat Dark Chocolate Cookies. I made the recipe from the magazine, and made a few small tweaks to make it easier and perhaps even more chocolaty. The original recipe made very thin cookies that were good for sandwiching, while this variation makes nice and thick cookies that bake up be very chocolaty and rich inside, and a little more decadent seeming than a thin cookie.

There are three kinds of chocolate in these. The dough starts out with a lot of dark chocolate melted into the batter and held together with not very much flour. I mixed in milk chocolate chunks, to add some sweetness to the dark background, and some dark chocolate chunks to make sure that the cookies kept their richness. Since walnuts are a frequent addition to brownies, they go very well with the dark chocolate flavors of these cookies. They’re not fudgy, like brownies are, but if you want to experiment with underbaking a batch I’m sure you could sneak some in there. Either way, you’ll have a great batch of these intense, rich, tender cookies to enjoy.

The dark chocolate I used had a high cocoa percentage of about 76% (I actually used a mixture of dark and bittersweet Guittard chocolate). I mention this because the amount of cocoa in your chocolate will have a slight impact on how thick your batter is. A higher percentage will yield a slightly drier batter. The mixture will still come together, but you may have to rely on a mixer or give your arm a good workout to blend all those chocolate chips and nuts into the cookie dough.

Triple Threat Dark Chocolate Cookies
12-oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup butter, cut into piesces
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup + 3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup milk chocolate chunks
1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chunks
1 cup chopped, toasted walnut

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt together dark chocolate and butter. Stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. Stir in eggs, one at a time, then add in sugar and vanilla and mix well. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt, then stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and walnuts.
Divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in wax paper and allow to chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut into 1/3 inch thick slices and place on baking sheet. If dough crumbles slightly, due to all the nuts and chocolate chips, simply press back together.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until cookies are set and slightly firm around the edges. Allow to cool on wire rack for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies