outrageous chocolate cookies (with espresso)

after much deliberation on what to bake for christmas eve, i decided to go with a recipe from martha stewart's collection: outrageous chocolate cookies.  only the first batch was kind of blah, so i sprinkled some espresso and placed some chocolate chunks on top and...it was yummy.  the espresso gave the cookie a much needed hint of taste and texture.

for christmas, i went with the same recipe but this time, i mixed the espresso in the batter (as opposed to "sprinkling").  i scooped up dollops of the chocolatey batter and placed them on foil, when i noticed i forgot to add the chocolate chunks to the batter, making the batter less chunky (hence, rounder and flatter cookies).  so the chunks were a last-minute addition.

what i learned: don't bake cookies at four 'o clock in the morning.

however, the cookies were a hit!  yay!  and it inspired me to bake more (especially since I received a cookbook on "cake pops" and a doughnut maker for christmas!).  at the end of the night...this tray was empty.  success.

-jillian m.