Monday Menu: Valentine’s Day Treat

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to do something chocolatey.  It was between this recipe and a sheet cake. The cookies won out because I have a super busy week and these are easier to transport to various locations as I run around.

I also wanted to see how they fared with the Air Fryer baking method.  With traditional baking, they are great right out of the oven, but even with the extra butter, a day after, they tend toward dryness. The air-fried version retained its crisp outside and gooey insides.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or peanuts), chopped

mixing bowl and cookie sheet

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (the lower temperature is because dark cookies can burn easily)

Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well.  Sift together salt, soda, flour and cocoa, then add to butter mixture, blending well.  Add nuts and chocolate chips.  Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Cool on cooling rack.

Air Fryer directions:  Use parchment in the basket and place the cookies an inch or so apart. Make sure there is space on the edges of the parchment for the air to flow through.

For freshly made, air fry at 320 degrees F for 9-10 minutes.

If you’ve frozen extra dough balls (as I often do!), air fry at a lower temp: 270 degrees F for 11 to 12 minutes. For either method, keep a close eye as every air fryer is different.

Remove to a plate – YOU MUST LET THEM COOL to get the best texture. They are too gooey when first out of the fryer to put them on a cooling rack. It worked better on a plate or remove WITH the parchment to a cooling rack.