Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups flour*
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
6 oz (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 ¼ cups sugar*
2 eggs
2 ½ tsp. vanilla*
4 oz Askinosie Chocolate Bulk Broken Bars, melted and cooled
12 oz Askinosie Chocolate Bulk Broken Bars, chopped into ½-inch chunks
1 cup chopped pecans*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and shortening until light. Beat in the sugar, ¼ cup at a time. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stir in the vanilla and melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture, one-third at a time, stirring until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chunks and pecans. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough, two inches apart, onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool for few minutes on the cookie sheets. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Alternatives
For flour:
1 ¼ cups flour (King Arthur white unbleached-all purpose flour)
1 cup (King Arthur all-natural whole wheat flour) to equal the 2 cups of flour

For sugar:
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup sugar

For vanilla:
1 ½ tsp. pure Mexican pure extract
1 tsp. Pure Chocolate extract (Star Kay White’s)
Fresh ground nutmeg (about ½ tsp.)

For the nuts addition:
¾ cup shelled pistachios
¾ cup chopped dried apricots
¼ cup Askinosie Roasted Cocoa Nibs in addition to the chopped chocolate