Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies

When these cookies first came out of the oven I ate one. Well, as soon as I was sure I wouldn't destroy my tongue with a bite, that is. I was immediately disappointed because they weren't at all what I expected. It's not that they weren't good - they were - but it was like eating a brownie and that's not what I wanted. I wanted a chewy, crunchy cookie flavored with almonds. I was tempted to get rid of them; yes, you heard that right. I was going to throw them out! I know! What was I thinking? Throw out CHOCOLATE? I quickly calmed down and told myself, "For the love of all that is holy, Abby, chill." It worked.

You see I may have been afflicted with, um, an emotional disturbance that day. Luckily I needed chocolate like the desert needs rain so I packed up the cookies and let them rest on the counter. The next day I tried them again, and Ding, Ding, Ding! We had a winner. Letting them rest definitely made them better - to me, anyway. Needless to say they disappeared before I could take a picture of the finished product. Really - they went quickly. I made them large - larger than I should have, probably - but every bite hit the spot. They were sort of like eating candy, which is not a surprise considering the ingredients, but they weren't so sweet that I couldn't handle eating an entire one. Or two. Or three?

Giant Chocolate-Toffee Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Makes about 18 cookies
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Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 chocolate-covered toffee bars, chopped
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and chopped

Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a double boiler, stir chocolate and butter until melted. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm temperature.
3. In a large bowl, beat sugar and eggs, about five minutes. Mix in melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture, then add toffee and almonds. Chill until firm, about 45 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Remove batter from refrigerator. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared sheets, leaving 2.5 inches between cookies.
6. Bake about 15 minutes, or until tops are just dry and cracked but cookies are still soft. Cool completely on sheets. Store in airtight containers.