Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies (T&T)


Source: Loosely adapted from Fishing for Compliments: A collection of Recipes from the Shedd Aquarium (Chicago), 1996

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon each salt, baking soda and baking powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon each vanilla extract AND almond extract
1 cup slightly cooled MELTED butter, or
    combination of butter and margarine
2 (10 ounce) packages semisweet or milk chocolate chips,  (I use one package of each)
2 cups coarsely chopped toasted almonds (toasting intensifies the almond flavor - be sure nuts are completely cooled before stirring into the dough, or they'll melt the chips)!

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set out two large nonstick cookie sheets. (Do NOT grease).
Mix the first four ingredients together.

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the sugars, eggs, flavorings and melted butter. Gradually stir in the flour mixture, blending well. Then stir in the chips and almonds. Use a 1/3 cup capacity ice cream scoop to drop dough (or drop by heaping tablespoonsful) onto cookie sheets, allowing room for cookies to spread slightly. Bake, placing a single cookie sheet in the center of the preheated oven, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned and "just" set around the edges. (Cookies should still be somewhat soft in the middle - better to UNDER-BAKE slightly for soft, chewy cookies.)

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen large "bakery-shoppe" type cookies.