by Melanie
This evening a friend will join us for dinner. We debated about menu, considering salmon and asparagus, or homemade pizzas. (We finally figured out how to make a pretty good crust. When paired with basil pesto as the sauce, the result is out of this world!) We finally decided to make chicken soup (I excel at soup) with Jim’s Irish soda bread and salad. That will suit our forecast for temps in the low 40s, with our ever-ready Iowa wind.
No matter what the main course would be, we agreed on cookies and ice cream for dessert.
This recipe makes 4 dozen terrific cookies. Each time I’ve made them the texture has been fabulous, and they freeze well, too.
Ingredients
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne (optional) OR 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, as needed
1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In large bowl, mix butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. If adding cayenne or cinnamon, add to dry ingredients. Stir into the butter mixture until well blended. If the dough is too stiff, stir in up to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix in the chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8-10 minutes, or until just set. Cool a few minutes before removing to wire rack.
Our View From Iowa 
They look wonderful. I’ve tucked the recipe away for future use, since anything chocolate is at the top of my “favorites” list.
I mentioned it above, but besides the flavor, I really love the texture. Not sure why I can’t get that with all cookies… 🙂
Reblogged this on Catbird Quilt Studio and commented:
Nope, it’s not quilting. But if you like a cookie while you work on projects, consider this one. I made 4 dozen cookies or so this morning, and they are DEEEEElishus!
These will go very well with ice cream. (yum yum yum)
I have caramel sauce…
Even better!
I’m coming over to your house for dinner – lol!
You are welcome!
🙂
They look yummy! But what’s a ‘stick’ of butter? And what size is a US cup measurement? We’re metric in Australia, but I can translate ounces of course:)
They are yummy. A stick of butter is a quarter pound. A cup of flour is 8 ounces. Hope that helps.
Thanks Melanie…just what I need. Might try baking these with DGD on our play date on Tuesday😊
Oh, yum! I may need to invite people over for dinner, just to have an excuse to bake these!
I’ve been out of town so I missed this recipe when it was posted–maybe just as well for my middle, but it looks great!
They are pretty tasty! People who bake a lot probably have tips for stuff like this… I think if I chill the dough for at least a few minutes, it would be easier to work when I drop the cookies. Next time I’ll try that…
OK, I do bake a lot, and I like my cookies chewy. So I would use 1/2 to 3/4 the amount of butter called for, and use all brown sugar. That should make them chewer and the dough easier to handle. But be warned: in cooking as in quilting I seldom follow the directions 😉
These don’t end up crisp, but also not chewy as much as a brownie. Somewhere between. I like the texture as they are so I wouldn’t mess with it much, but trying all brown sugar is a variation I’m willing to try. Thanks.
Just got hubby home from hospital so missed your original post. These looks soo yummy and resemble a recipe my grandmother used to make. Only hers used buttermilk. These are a must try for me….
I think you’ll like them!