Double Chocolate Cookies

Starting with the chocolate shortbread cookie recipe, I've decided that i want to write a fairly regular series of posts about Christmas cookies and general holiday baking. Nothing fancy, just a handful of cookie recipes (or maybe cupcakes, etc) that I'm making with the "uh-it's-almost-Christmas" excuse.

Two "fun facts" about baking.
1) Use kosher salt (or sea salt, if you have it). I used to leave it out of baking recipes and I think I was wrong all those years. It gives just the right amount of salty-sweet.
2) Cocoa powder is magic. I didn't used to understand how chocolate based things (chocolate cake, etc) were chocolate, like, all around. And now I know.
















These. were. awesome.

















And easy! They're really rich - 1 goes a long way. The recipe just calls for regular cocoa powder, but we happened to have special dark chocolate cocoa, and I think it adds a lot to these cookies. Then I used only about a cup and a half (as opposed to 2 in the recipe) of semi-sweet chips. I'd recommend doing that instead of dark cocoa+dark chips, which might be a little much (or perfect, depending on who you ask).

I'd definitely make these again!

Double Chocolate Cookies
from All Recipes.

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
2. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.**

*I omitted this (duh).
**I baked them for 9 minutes a batch (just right for my oven) and then let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes (maybe 3 minutes too long, but maybe not...).