MAKES 10 DOZEN COOKIES
A refined little cookie nugget that blends unsweetened and semisweet chocolate with the richness of pecans. The ingredients are everything here; go out of your way to find plump and fresh pecans and excellent chocolate.
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, cut into ½-inch chunks
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into ½-inch chunks
2 ounces (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 extra-large egg
1½ cups (5½ ounces) pecan halves
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of fine sea salt
1. In the top of a double boiler, melt the unsweetened and semisweet chocolates over hot, not simmering, water, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and mix until incorporated; stop the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well blended. Add the pecans, flour, and salt and mix again, about 2 minutes.
3. Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap; the dough will be sticky. Loosely wrap the dough in plastic. Mold and shape the dough into an 8- by 4-inch rectangular block, about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Move an oven rack to the top third of the oven. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough lengthwise into 8 strips ½ inch wide. Turn the strips on their wider side, then cut each strip crosswise into ½-inch nuggets. Place the nuggets ½ inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
6. One sheet at a time, bake the cookies until the edges are firm, 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will be a bit chewy in the center. Cool on the baking sheets set on wire racks.
Most people have Oreo memories. Mine are of Mallomars. Not that I was (or am) a marshmallow fan. Simply, it was irresistible for a Virgo-in-training not to tap a Mallomar upside down on a counter, break its chocolate shell into a hundred smithereens, then fastidiously pick them off with her tongue while leaving the naked mallow to shiver all alone. I don’t remember actually eating those cookies, but I recall the pleasure of that eroding chocolate mosaic.