MONSTER FUDGE NUT COOKIES (11)

12 Baking, Biscuits

360g good-quality dark chocolate

90g unsalted butter, cubed
100g plain flour
10g baking powder
A pinch of sea salt
3 organic eggs
200g caster sugar
1/2 vanilla pod, split and deseeded
150g walnuts, coarsely chopped
360g milk-chocolate buttons

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Roughly break the dark chocolate
into pieces and place with the butter in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely
simmering
water. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the
bain-marie and allow to cool.
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk the eggs in a blender and
gradually add the sugar until the mixture thickens and increases in volume. Stir
the vanilla seeds into the egg mix, add this to the melted chocolate, then fold in
the flour mix and beat only until well combined. Now fold in the walnuts and
the buttons.
Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Then, using a 1/4 cup
(65ml) ice cream scoop (or similar), drop the mixture in blobs onto a greased
nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.