Mel:
Two weeks ago I made the precursor to this recipe and the cookies were gone within a week. This is the new, improved recipe, which tastes even better. These cookies have a ton of chocolate and nuts and go fast.
A note from Chris: These are without doubt the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had; and to my mind the best cookies Mel has ever made. The irony though? Mel doesnt like chocolate chip cookies. Oh and the same basic recipe could easily be adapted to white chocloate chip and macadamia nut, dark cocolate and walnut, maple candy and walnut (replace some of the brown sugar with maple syrup), or peanut butter chip and cashew (yes, trust me they're good) cookies.
As an additional serving suggestion, trust me on this one, make a couple of big ones, and use them as the basis for an ice cream sunday, with butter pecan ice cream, caramel, and choclate sauce.
Ingredients:
2 cups butter (1 lb), softened
2 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
2 tbsp natural vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optionally substitue other nuts to your taste)
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (optionally substitute milk chocolate chips, or chunks)
Preparation:
Cream the butter and brown sugar together until well combined and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips (yes they will all fit in the dough). The dough will be very wet, sticky, and chunky.
Use a tablespoon measure to scoop out the dough. Use about one rounded tablespoon of dough for each cookie, and set 2 inches apart on a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Flatten the cookies slightly before putting in the oven. Because of their high butter content they will spread nicely when flattened, but with all those chocolate chips and nuts, if you don't flatten them they will be very thick, and lumpy cookies. Oh, they'll taste good, but their texture will be a bit odd.
Bake the cookies in the center of the oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Check them after about 8 minutes; the center will be set when done. DO NOT OVERBAKE. These cookies have lots of butter and brown sugar, and will burn very easily. The edges should be a slightly darker brown than the center, but the entire cookie will be very brown due to the ingredients.
Using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a cooling rack or table top lined covered with parchment paper or foil. Let cool to slightly warm before eating; the cookies will fall apart when too hot.
This recipe makes around 5 dozen cookies, and believe me, you'll need that many once people taste them.
And be sure to check out:
Recipes for REAL Women, Volume 15 - More Chocolate Than Cookie
Recipes for REAL Women, Volume 14 - Millions of Peaches
Recipes for REAL Women, Volume 13 - Mels 10,000 Calorie Butter Cookies
Recipes for REAL Men, Volume 12 - Lard Ass Wings
Recipes for REAL Men, Volume 11 - Bacon Double Macaroni and Cheese
Recipes for REAL Men, Volume 10 - It's the meat stupid
Recipes for REAL Men, Volume 9 - Labor Day Potatos
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 8 - It's a pork fat thing
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 7 - It may not be Kosher...
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 6 - Andouille Guiness Chili
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 5 - Eazza the Ultimate Pizza
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 4 - Two Pound Meat Sauce
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 3 - Highbrow Hash
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 2 - MuscleCarbonara
Recipes for REAL men, Volume 1 - More Beef than Stew
