Chocolate Whopper Cookies

When I think of a whopper, I think of the oh-so-delicious whopper malted milkball candies.  You might be different. Maybe you're a die hard Burger King fan and use the word Whopper regularly in that sense, who knows. After seeing the "Whopper Freakout" commercials a few years ago I know those kinds of people are out there! Rarely do I use the word "whopper" to describe size. When I saw this recipe, though, I felt right away that whopper was the appropriate term to describe these cookies. They're big and packed full of flavor. There's much more to them than any regular chocolate cookie recipe. The original recipe calls for nuts. I left these out because I am a chocoholic and they get in the way of my full chocolate enjoyment. You'd think a cookie with two different kinds of chocolate and three different additions of chocolate throughout the recipe would be enough for me despite the nuts, but no.
After making these I am sure they would be great with or without the walnuts, your call. These cookies are chocolaty and delicious. I love how they came out with cracked tops, yet moist and brownie-like insides. The espresso, which has lately become an ingredient I'm addicted to, makes them ultra-rich but not too rich for those of you who like simple cookies. The recipe also says they freeze well and because they are soft, ship well also.
That's a triple right there: they taste great, freeze well, and ship well. Looks like you'll just have to try them out.

Chocolate Whoppers
Recipe from The Foster's Market Cookbook

Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate (preferably high-quality baking chocolate), chopped into large chunks*
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into large chunks *
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts *
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

*I didn't have high quality chocolate, just Nestle, and they came out great still. I also learned a great tip if you don't have unsweetened chocolate: for every ounce of unsweetened chocolate called for, use 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon butter. I did this and it tasted just the same. And like I said, I left out the nuts.

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets and set aside.
3. Melt together the semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate chunks, and butter in a double boiler over low heat until just melted, stirring occasionally. Stir to blend the chocolate and the butter, and set aside.
4. Cream together the eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and mix until thick and creamy.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl and stir to mix. Set aside.
6. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and blend until well combined. Add the flour mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moist.
7. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips. (Note: The batter will be very moist--similar to the consistency of cake batter)
8. Scoop the batter with a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop or by the heaping tablespoon and drop onto the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake immediately.
9. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, turning the baking sheets once during the cooking time. The cookies will still be very gooey inside and soft, but do not overcook or the cooled cookies will be dry. Cool about 10 minutes on the baking sheets before gently removing the whoppers to a baking rack to cool completely.