Curtis Stone's Giant Chocolate Chunk Cookies

From Curtis Stone What's For Dinner?

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 13-15 minutes 
Cooling time: 10 minutes

Makes 18 and you can freeze the dough to make part of the batch later!

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks (1/2 lb/227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 large eggs
12 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely chopped into chunks
2 cups pecan halves, toasted.  NOTE: next time I'll coarsely chop them before adding to the batter)

Directions:
1. Position the racks to top third and center of the oven . Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line 2 large rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl whisk the flour and baking soda and set aside

3. Using a large bowl and electric mixer (I used my stand mixer, because beating for 4 minutes is easier when the machine does all the work with the occasional scraping), beat the butter, sugars vanilla and salt at medium high speed until creamy.   One at a time add the eggs, beating well after each.  Reduce speed to low and add the flour until well combined.  Add the chocolate and pecans and mix to incorporate.  

4. Scoop 1/3 cup cookie dough (I use a regular ice cream scoop for consistency) and only place 6 cookies per sheet leaving lots of room between them as the cookies will spread during baking.  (NOTE: the cookies are huge, so next time I think I'll make twice as many, but small scoops). 

Shaped cookie dough can be frozen for when the next cookie craving comes along.  You can bake them direct from the freezer.  They just might take a few minutes longer. 

5. Bake cookies, switching the tray positions halfway, for about 13 minutes or until the edges and tops are golden but the centers are still soft and moist.

6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to continue cooling.   

If you are baking the entire batch, make sure the cookie sheets are completely cool before baking the second batch.