I’ve always enjoyed walnuts. . .by themselves, but never in baked goods. For years, I willingly omitted them from breads, cookies, and brownies that called for them thinking they had no place there to begin with. In my book, they were always optional and optional always meant never. Until recently. I can’t attribute the change to anything in particular, but I’ve integrated them more in my baking and found the results to be almost richer, earthier. A bit more decadent. Sophisticated, if you will.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups Ghirardelli 60% cacao discs, chopped
• 3/4 cups chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugars with the melted butter. Beat together the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until fully incorporated. Mix in the dry ingredients until just blended, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed. Stir in the chocolate and walnuts by hand.

In small rounded tablespoons, set cookies 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool on baking sheet for a minute or two and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Adapted from: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/03/crispy-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/