Chocolate Mudslide Cookies

Found this adaptation of a Jacques Torres recipe on The Washington Post. Rich chocolate, toasted nuts, fast to come together - this one has a place on our Christmas cookie trays for sure. Using 2 cookie sheets, this recipe should be cooked up in 2 batches, each 16 to 18 minutes.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Yields: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups walnut halves (plus 1 tablespoon, whole macadamia nuts good too)
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (foam skimmed and discarded)
• 6  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2  lbs dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (bittersweet, at least 60 percent cocoa)
• 2 1⁄4 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 5  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup flour, plus 3 tablespoons
• 1  tablespoon baking powder
• 1  pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the sheet; bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of melted butter; set aside to cool while you make the cookie dough.
3. Melt the unsweetened chocolate with half of the chopped dark chocolate in a microwave oven or in a bowl over hot water on the stove. Use 15 second bursts on the microwave & stir well between pulses. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Combine the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer; beat on medium speed until well incorporated.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, then stop to add the flour, baking powder and salt; beat until well combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
6. Coarsely chop the cooled and buttered nuts, then add them to the mixing bowl along with the melted chocolate and the remaining chopped dark chocolate; stir by hand to combine. The dough will be quite stiff.
7. Place a new sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet. Spoon small mounds (a generous 1 1/2 tablespoons) of the dough onto the sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes; the cookie tops will crack; that's okay. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.