Mudslide Cookies

Happy 4th of July everyone! Today we celebrate our nation's birthday with lots of tube meat, cheap beer, and fireworks. I'll be taking in a Nationals game with an awesome cookout planned for afterwards at my friend Scott's place. Fingers crossed we don't get any more monsoon-like weather. But even if we don't have flooding, we'll definitely have mudslide...cookies.

Mudslide Cookies (makes 32 cookies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 TB butter

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 TB instant coffee granules

1 TB hot water

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 ounces)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup egg substitute

2 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place butter, bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until smooth. Combine coffee granules and 1 tablespoon hot water, stirring until granules dissolve. Stir coffee and vanilla into chocolate mixture.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Combine sugar, egg substitute, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 6 minutes or until thick and pale. Gently stir 1/4 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture; stir chocolate mixture into remaining egg mixture. Stir in flour mixture, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Cover baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets; with moist hands, gently press dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until set. The cookies will appear cracked on the top, but will be gooey on the inside.

Cool 1 minute. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.