Another stellar night at the P house, oh, and a cookie update

Two out of the three children are up crying themselves to sleep as I type. Little H because I taught piano today, he missed his afternoon nap, and he is beyond exhaustion and has already woken up once and it's only 8:17pm. Sweetie because she was trying to make Mister smell her bum and so she lost book privileges. (I don't even pretend to understand that child.)

I was supposed to go running with a friend for only the second time because I had to cancel the last 4 times, once because of my conference and the other times because J had church stuff. But my friend is sick, so instead I am eating cookies. I'm on #5 and am not making any promises about when I'll stop. After all, it's only 8:19pm.

That reminds me that I should update the Great Cookie Quest with the latest and greatest, which is definitely this recipe from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth. Rave reviews here. J says he thinks we have a winner and we all know what a picky eater J is, so that's saying something.

The Best One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk-Pecan Cookies (Makes 18 large cookies)

2 c pecan halves [I left these out since I didn't have any on hand]

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 c firmly packed dark brown sugar [I only had light brown sugar]

3/4 c granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 1/4 c bleached all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 c semisweet chocolate chunks

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the pecans on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are warm and fragrant, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Place the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted. Using a large wooden spoon, stir both sugars into the melted butter. When combined, add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Stir until smooth. Stir the flour, baking soda, and baking powder into the batter just until incorporated and a soft dough forms. Carefully fold in the chocolate chunks and cooled toasted pecans.

Use a 2-ounce self-releasing ice-cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup to measure out the cookie dough. Place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Toward the end of the chilling time, return the oven to 350.

Place the chilled dough balls on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. (I find 9 cookies per sheet to be about right to allow for a little spreading and for the cookies to bake evenly.)

Bake until the cookies are crisp and golden around the edges but still a little soft in the centers without being gooey, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool slightly. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the cookies from the baking sheets to the wire racks and let cool to room temperature.

Stored in self-sealing plastic bags, these cookies will keep for 2 days at room temperature. They can also be frozen for up to 2 weeks. You can prepare the cookie dough balls and, after they are chilled, store the unbaked cookies in the freezer for up to 1 month. The cookies can be baked straight from the freezer but will take a few minutes longer.