Chocolate Cookies (Maria Eiler’s sister Bonnie’s cookies)
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
- ½ cup sun-dried cranberries
- 2 cups (1 11 1/2 oz pkg.) extra large semisweet chocolate chips (Nestles Mega-morsels)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 2 ounces best quality unsweetened chocolate, melted
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (high altitude: add 2 more tablespoons, for a total of 2¼ cups)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
- 1 cup commercially prepared marshmallow cream
Preheat oven to 325. Spread nuts on an un-greased cookie sheet and roast for 7 – 12 minutes, or until they are lightly browned and some skins have loosened. Set aside to cool.
Butter 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl combine the chocolate chips, cranberries and cooled nuts; set aside. In another large bowl beat together the butter, sugar, cream cheese and egg until very creamy and smooth. Beat in milk, melted chocolate and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa, then add to the butter mixture. Blend in the marshmallow cream, stirring until thoroughly combined. Add the chips, cranberries, and nuts. Stir until well mixed. Batter will be thick.
Using a ¼ -cup measure or a 4 tablespoon ice cream scoop, measure out batter and place 2inches apart on cookie sheets, putting no more than 6 cookies per sheet. Bake 13 to 17 minutes, until puffed and cooked through (I think I patted them down a little before cooking). Cool on sheet for 1 minute, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Very good.