Chocolate blizzard cookies

I really have no idea why these are chocolate blizzard cookies ... I guess because they still have a little bit of flour on the outside edges? It doesn't really constitute a blizzard, at least in my mind. But I do love them. I came across the recipe when I was doing an all out internet search for freezable cookies. I love cookies I can make ahead of time and then just bake or defrost.



These are so good that I always make a double batch of dough and then freeze it in logs, as directed. We often have at least one log in the freezer, absolutely perfect for when people come over unexpectedly and I want to have dessert. You just slice them and bake them. The key is not overbaking them. They'll still seem a little gooey on the bottom when they come out of the oven, but they set up as they cool. The recipe calls for pecans, but I've always used walnuts. You can also leave the nuts out altogether, and the cookie doesn't suffer.

Here is the doubled recipe (original linked above, from recipelink.com), for those who don't like math, but do like cookies:

2 pounds bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I use chocolate chips)
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
20 oz. white chocolate, chopped
4 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Melt the chocolate and butter over hot water. You don't have to have a double boiler. I just take one of my aluminum mixing bowls and rest it over a pot with boiling water in it and it works well enough.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.

3. Beat the eggs with the sugars until light and stir in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture, chopped white chocolate and nuts. Refrigerate the dough for at least a couple hours (it will be way too sticky until it cools down).

4. Shape the dough into rolls, like refrigerator cookies. This is the tricky part. Keep your hands well floured and don't worry too much about the mess. You'll have to experiment to see how thick you want the logs to be. I prefer them to be fairly small, because the cookies have such a rich flavor, so I usually make logs with a diameter of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Wrap with saran wrap, and then wrap with aluminum foil and put in a ziploc freezer bag if you plan to store them for more than a few days. Wrapped up well, they will last for at least 2 months in the freezer (probably longer, but they usually get eaten quickly). Let them sit in the freezer for at least a day before you try to cut them - it works better if they are really frozen solid.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (or your Silpat!). Slice the cookies 1/2 inch thick. Bake only 10 to 12 minutes or just until they lose their sheen. They should just barely hold their shape when cool, and should be moist and chewy inside. Gently lift the cookies off the cookie sheets and cool on racks. Eat the ones that inevitably fall apart when you try to move them, because they are really good fresh from the oven.

Add these cookies to your list of things to try. Seriously.