Giant double chocolate nut biscuits

Versión Española

These cookies are just delicious. I brought them once as a present for my parents, once to Miguel's colleagues and once as a birthday present to Miguel's brother (Quique) and they all agreed that these cookies are really tasty! For special occasions, put them in an airtight container, wrap it in nice paper and you will have a nice hand made present! And even if you put salt instead of sugar, they will not dare to complain, after all the effort you have made!




Before we start:

• Difficulty: easy
  
• Preparation time: 30 min
• Cooking time:12-15 min
• Cost: cheap
• Origin: International
  
• Recipe obtained from: Baking Bible, "Giant double chocolate nut biscuits"

Ingredients (makes 16):
140g plain chocolate, chopped
100g butter, at room temperature
80g golden caster sugar
80g dark brown muscovado sugar
1 large egg, beaten
Half teaspoon vanilla essence
150g plain flour
a pinch of salt
Half teaspoon baking powder
50g pecans or walnuts, chopped
100g plain dark chocolate, chopped into chunks


Preparation:

• Melt the 140g chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of steaming, not boiling, water. Remove the bowl from the heat and let cool.
  
• Beat the butter until creamy using a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Add the sugars and beat again until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg, vanilla essence and melted chocolate.
  
• Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the mixture and stir. When throughly mixed, stir in the chopped nuts and chocolate chunks.
  
• Put heaped tablespoons of the dough, spaced well apart, on two oven trays covered in baking paper.
  
• Bake for 12-15 minutes in preheated oven at 180ºC. Cookies are ready when they are just firm, so do not over bake them, as they harden outside the oven.
  
• Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Comments:

Although it may seem that cookies are not ready, bake them only for the time indicated, or they will be too dry.

I used 75% chocolate as I like bitter chocolate, but any good quality plain chocolate will do. I used plain chocolate chunks, but white chocolate can also be used.

According to the book, cookies can be stored in an airtight container for one week, or frozen for up to 1 month.