Molten Chocolate Cookies

{This is a picture of a leftover cookie reheated in the microwave for 20 seconds. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see how gooey the cookie is inside. Imagine what it was like right out of the oven!}

I’ve been in a cooking funk this week. We have guests coming over for dinner for the next 3 days in a row; I think maybe I’ve just been saving all of my cooking up for the weekend. We’ve been eating Girl Scout cookies for dessert every night so far this week. Last night, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I did not want Samoas and Thin Mints for dessert again, so I pulled a bag of chocolate chips out of the cupboard, found this recipe on the back, and made it right then and there. They were amazing! They reminded me of brownies in cookie form: a thin, crisp crust surrounding warm, gooey chocolate. We ate them as directed by the recipe–fresh out of the oven and with a tall, cold glass of milk. Definitely better than Girl Scout cookies again (no offense).

Molten Chocolate Cookies
from the back of a package of Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Chips

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3 Tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Combine chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each session, until butter and chocolate chips are melted and smooth. Set aside. Using a mixer, combine eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on high for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add chocolate and mix on low. Add flour and baking powder. Mix on low just until combined. Give it a few stirs by hand to make sure everything is mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a regular ice cream scoop, scoop level blobs of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for exactly 12 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Remove cookies from oven, let cool about 3 minutes, and eat. Makes about 20 cookies.