Description

This recipe calls for 8 oz (that's half a pound!) of chocolate, so be sure to use your favorite high-quality brand here. I recommend sticking between 60-70%. From the grocery store, I've had great results with both 70% Guittard (red box) and 60% Ghirardelli (brown wrapper) chocolate bars.

Ingredients

Scale

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (225 g)
1 cup + 1 TB all-purpose flour (155 g)
1/2 cup + 2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder (50 g)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine-grain salt (like table or sea salt)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (4 oz)
1 cup + 2 TB sugar (225 g)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature (75 ml)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or in the microwave in 15-30 second bursts, stirring until smooth. Set aside to let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Turn off the mixer, add the melted chocolate, and then beat until incorporated. (It will look like fluffy, delicious chocolate pudding at this stage.) Slowly add the milk, and then beat until combined. Finally, add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to ensure no unmixed flour bits are hiding at the bottom of the bowl.
Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonfuls (I use this scoop to measure) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies until they are just barely firm on top when lightly touched, but still very soft underneath, about 7 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
Let the warm cookies sit on the baking sheet ~5 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or in the freezer for even longer!

Notes

This is a great cookie to have on the counter (for easy snacking), or to bring to a potluck. But I don't recommend packaging to gift (or ship) -- the tender morsels just aren't sturdy enough.

Recipe very slightly adapted from the baking classic, Tartine, by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson.