Slow Like Honey

Cookies have a way of brightening up everyone’s day. Breakup with your boyfriend? Have a cookie. Fail a test? Bake a batch of cookies. Bored senseless? You guessed it. Bake, my friends

That is what I did all last weekend. From cakes to cookies, I baked my way out of boredom and out of a bad mood. Sure I had tons of homework and studying to do, but that’s not fun. What does a sullen girl do when she finds herself all alone, all little moody and grumpy? What can perk me up?

Baking. Only some people understand it. One of the best things to bake are cookies. There is really no way to ruin them, and they take only 15 minutes. Easy, simple, and thanks to Jill O’Connor, stress-free due to her one bowl chocolate chunk pecan cookie recipe.

I adore Jill ‘Connor’s book Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey and have made some rather decadent recipes from this book, including these sticky chocolate cookies that blew my mind away and rendered me into a sugar-induced coma.

These pecan cookies were so good that I was tempted to lock them up in a cupboard. Or devour them on my own, condemning myself to a lifetime of hours spent on the damn treadmill to work off all the glorious sugar and butter in these cookies. Even my mom couldn’t get enough of them, which is saying alot since she doesn’t have the same raging sweet tooth as I do.

The mix of sweet and salty in these cookies is what really hooks you in. Plus, the pecans give the cookie a nice crunch, adding extra texture in every bite. I normally don’t bake with white chocolate since I am not a big fan of it, but I wanted to try something new this time around. They might’ve been overly sweet but the salty nuts balanced the white chocolate chunks.

Jill states that melting the butter first is the key to a crispy yet chewy cookie and I have to agree with her. The melted butter along with the brown sugar kept the cookie moist and utterly delectable.

Despite my rather drab mood, these cookies perked me right up. These are the kind of cookies that you must devour after just having one bite. One bite will not do, especially if these are in your nearby vicinity. You’ll find yourself walking by the kitchen fr no reasonabe excuse, and at the end of the day, when half of the batch is gone, you will crown yourself the official cookie monster. I’d recommend them to everyone! This recipe belongs up on my top list of cookie recipes, right beside Dorie’s chocolate chip cookies and Giada’s Frangelico cookies.

One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies
from Sticky Chewy Messy Gooey

Ingredients:
2 cups pecan halves (I used chopped pecans)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I used white chocolate chunks)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pecans on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are warm and fragrant, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool completely.

Place the butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted. Using a large wooden spoon, stir both sugars into the melted butter. When combined, add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Stir until smooth. Stir in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the batter until just incorporated and a soft dough forms. Carefully fold in the chocolate chunks and cooled toasted pecans.

Use a 2-ounce self releasing ice cream scoop or a 1/4 measuring cup to measure out the cookie dough. Place the cookie dough balls in a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Toward the end of the chilling time, return the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the chilled dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (I find 9 cookies per sheet to be about right for a little spreading and for the cookies to bake evenly).

Bake until the cookies are crisp and golden around the edges but still a little soft in the center without being gooey, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool slightly. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the cookies from the baking sheets to the wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

Stored in a self-sealing plastic bags, these cookies will keep up to 2 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks. You can prepare the cookie dough balls and after they have chilled, store the unbaked cookies in the freezer for up to 1 month. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer but will take a few minutes longer.