Brownie Cookies

Recently we lost our beloved Auntie. She was like an extra mom/grandma to many of us. Tomorrow would've been her birthday so to honor her, we got together to celebrate. (It's not like we just spent a week together in Chelan or anything. Oh wait...) I was asked to bake something so I focused on bars or cookies since there's about 2 dozen of us. After a brief search (i.e. randomly grabbing magazines and cookbooks from my baking shelf until I found a recipe I could do), I decided on Brownie Cookies from the Crazy About Cookies cookbook. Even though the recipe yields at 18 cookies, I figured if I scooped out smaller amounts, I could at least double the amount. (I did :P)

Brownie Cookies (pgs. 78-79)

1/2 c all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter 12 oz bittersweet chocolate (the only brand I could find was Ghiradelli) 3/4 c light brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla 2 large eggs 1 1/4 c walnut halves (optional - I replaced it with a regular sized bag of white chocolate chips)

1. Combine the flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside.
2. Heat the butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly until melted.
3. Remove from the heat, and stir in the brown sugar and vanilla. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and blend in the eggs and walnuts, if using.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dough on the cookie sheets 2 1/2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until set around the edges and soft in the center. Transfer to racks to cool.

I had a few screw-ups, which ended up not mattering. First, I didn't let the chocolate/sugar/vanilla mixture cool. Then, I forgot to cover and refrigerate the dough. I also mixed the flour and powder in the Kitchenaid mixer's bowl and added the chocolate mixture, eggs, and chocolate chips later (I usually deviate like this when baking and so far, I've had no problems). The cookies still turned out OK and everyone loved them. My dad even made sure that I didn't forget them when we were leaving.