Mmmmm. Mmmmm. What better way to start this entry by saying that these cookies are delicious. For me, these win the cookie weekend prize for best cookie. Decadent, rich, oh-so-chocolatey, if you have even the slightest love for chocolate you can't go wrong with these. If you have an addiction to chocolate, then I suggest halving the batch.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Huber's Ferry Bed & Breakfast

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup broken walnuts

Directions:

• In medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, softened butter and vanilla until creamy.
• Add eggs and beat.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips and broken walnuts.
• Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour (dough will become stiff after chilling).
• Drop mixture by rounded tablespoons on to ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake in a 375 oven 10 minutes or until edges are firm.
• Cool one minute on cookie sheet then remove to a wire rack to cool.

About this recipe: I've taken the liberty of fixing the typos in this recipe and also restoring a left-out ingredient to its rightful place in the directions section (they forgot to mention the sugar, poor thing). Typos aside, this was a straight forward recipe that is suitable for all levels of bakers.

The resulting dough is very thick and sugary. I was surprised, after seeing it, that you needed to refridgerate this at all since it looked solid enough pre-chilled. But I did my duty and followed the directions and it really does harden up quite a bit more. I'm guessing this step probably helps keep the cookies from spreading out too thin during baking. But with all the chocolate chips and walnuts they really don't have anywhere to go.

I baked my cookies between 10 and 12 minutes. I managed to burn a few slightly, but nothing bad. Just keep and eye on them toward the end.

I was able to restrain myself long enough for the first batch to cool so that I didn't burn the roof of my mouth.

Let me start my review by saying I am not a chocoholic. I can live without the stuff for weeks or months on end, so I'd like to qualify my statements about how good these cookies are saying that my opinion isn't skewed by such an addiction. I can't say enough how yummy these are warm, with the chocolate still soft. Fully cooled, they are almost as delicious, having a crunchy ourter rim and moist, soft center. Chocolate chips abound in each and every bite. If you're looking for a sure-fire winner in a cookie, look no further.