Chewy Chocolate Espresso Cookies

This intense chocolate cookie has a crackly exterior with a deeply fudgey and chewy interior.. Recipe is from pastry chef Kate Jansen, who serves them at her restaurant, Willow, in Arlington, VA and was printed in the Washington Post. Dough needs 1 hour refrigeration. To toast the nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake in a 325-degree oven for about 6 minutes. Watch carefully because nuts will burn quickly.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3  cups  semi-sweet chocolate chips (Jansen uses Ghirardelli)
• 3  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4  ounces unsalted butter
• 4  large eggs, at room temperature
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon  finely ground dark-roast coffee beans
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1  cup walnuts, toasted, then coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Melt 2 cups of the chocolate chips, the unsweetened chocolate and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
3. In the large bowl of a stand mixer on high speed, beat the eggs, sugar, ground coffee and vanilla extract until thick ribbons form and the mixture has doubled in volume. By hand, stir in the melted chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined, then add the dry ingredients, chopped walnuts and the remaining chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready some large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (If you have a convection oven, use that setting.).
5. Make golf ball-size scoops of dough, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake, in batches, 10 to 12 minutes; the tops will crack, but the cookies should be gooey inside. Cool on the baking sheets at least 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.