Gobs of Chocolate Cookies

(recipe makes 32 large cookies)

You will need 7 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips – 42 ounces.

4 1/2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

3 1/2 C bittersweet chocolate chips
2 C pecan pieces, toasted

1 stick butter, soft
2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C sugar
8 eggs
2 t vanilla

3 1/2 C of bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao), melted

2 T brewed espresso

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, powder, soda and salt. Whisk well to combine. Add 3 1/2 C of chocolate chips and pecans. Stir to coat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and both sugars. It will look sandy. Remove paddle and scrape down bottom of bowl to insure even mixing.

Combine eggs and vanilla in a pourable container. Drop eggs, one at a time, into butter/sugar mix. Mix well after each addition. Batter will look like smooth frosting.

Melt 3 1/2 C of chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl in short time increments at 50% power. Stir, place back in microwave and cook in 30 second increments – always at 50% power. Residual heat will melt all of the chocolate. No need to nuke until everything is melted! Stir to achieve a smooth consistency.

Add melted chocolate into egg mix and blend on slow speed. Add espresso and blend. Finish incorporating by hand.

Add chocolate mix to dry mix and fold together. A few streaks of flour are ok. Portion dough onto a cookie sheet for chilling. I used a large ice cream scoop. Smaller portions are fine too. Refrigerate. Once dough is chilled, you can place portions into a freezer bag for baking later. Once you go to the trouble of preparing this amount of batter, you might as well go ahead and have a few on reserve.

For baking, place chilled dough portions on a parchment lined baking sheet. Careful not to crowd the cookies. Place into a preheated 325 degree oven. Bake for 11 minutes, rotate and bake for an additional 11 minutes. Large cracks will appear on the tops. Remove cookie sheet from oven and tap sheet pan on the counter. This will “deflate” the cookies. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Then, remove them to a cooling rack for further cooling.