Giant Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let me introduce you to my new very favorite cookie. Here is the close second.
I like my cookies a bit crunchy with a golden crust and the middle super soft, but not doughy.

I like to make these HUGE. But you can divide the dough however you like...if you don't eat it all first. :)

Yield: 12 very large cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks butter – cold and cut into cubes (DON"T soften or melt it!)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour (you may need slightly less or more)

1 & 1/2  tsp salt (I prefer sea salt!)

2 tsp cornstartch

1 & 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2-3 cups chocolate chips – My favorite is to use half regular semi-sweet chips (My favorite are Guittard, but Ghirardelli's are good too), and half mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

1  1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (to me these are NOT optional and best when toasted prior to baking)

*Optional – 1/2 block of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not unsweetened baker’s chocolate) for grating.

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 385-390 degrees F

2.  In a large bowl/mixer bowl, cream together cubed butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy.

3.  Add eggs, one at a time, until well mixed.

4. Add flour, salt, cornstartch, baking powder, baking soda & salt to butter, sugar and egg mixture until just combined.   This should be a very thick mixture, and not sticky.  If your dough is still sticky, try adding more flour, 1/8-1/4 cup at a time.

5.  Add in chocolate chips and nuts.   If you are using a block of chocolate, you will want to grate it and add it in as well.

(You can even use a chocolate candy bar for this part.   The grated chocolate just adds a hint more chocolate in every bite.)

6.  Combine the dough and chocolate chips.   My dough was so thick that I had to do this by hand, a bit like kneading bread.

7.  Divide into portions to bake. Work the dough into balls (this recipe will make 12-18 depending on how big you want them. I like to make 12.)  Put them on the cookie sheet, leaving ample room between them.  Do not flatten the dough out at all.   Don't grease the cookie sheets.  I prefer my airbake sheet for these...even over my silpats.

8.  Put into the oven to bake.  Each sheet took approximately 8-10 minutes (larger cookies will obviously take a few more minutes).  Watch them closely and don’t over bake, or you will ruin the gooey wonderfulness inside.  I pull mine out as soon as I saw them start to lightly brown (they cook a bit more while they cool on the sheet).

9. Let cool and remove from pan.

10. Break one open and eat.  Squeal with joy after tasting.  Figure out who to give them to or where to hide them so that you don’t eat the entire batch in one sitting!

*Just to show how big end up: