Chocolate Chip Mint Brownie Cookies

Chocolate Chip Mint Brownie Cookies

I need a little chocolate everyday. Not want, NEED. If all the recent studies on the health benefits of chocolate are legitimate, then I should live until a very old age! Nothing beats a delicious pan of home mande brownies, but they aren't quite as easy to store as cookies. I have adapted a recipe for brownie cookies and added mint in place of vanilla for a little extra twist. If you don't care for mint, just replace with vanilla. These are chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside - just delectable! These would be fantastic made into ice cream sandwiches.

origin - food network / Lisa Lou
difficulty - moderate
health meter - low (unless of course you believe in all those studies....)

12 ounces (2 cups) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon mint extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (or a combination) - I omitted
In the top of a double boiler set over very hot water, melt the bittersweet chocolate and butter. Allow it to cool.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until frothy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture ribbons off the beaters. (this may take 5 minutes or more)Add the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.
Sift the dry ingredients together. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the chips and nuts. The dough will seem more like cake batter than cookie dough. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is well chilled (and more cookie-dough-like). Can chill overnight.
Set the oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with baking parchment.
Scoop up the chilled dough and roll with your hands into small balls the size of a whole walnut (in the shell). Place the cookies on the prepared pans, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake about 12 minutes or a bit longer. The tops of the cookies should look dry and cracked. Allow to cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then remove to cake racks for further cooling.