My all-time favorite cookie is the classic Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie. Real butter, real eggs, Nestle semi-sweet morsels. Nuts optional. It’s the cookie of my childhood and my go-to cookie today. I’ll experiment with the mix-ins, maybe bake as bars rather than individual cookies (awfully cute in a heart-shaped cake pan), but sometimes I just want that classic favorite.

So one of my Facebook friends shared a link to Handle the Heat, where the blogger took the classic Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as a “control recipe” and then made a series of batches where she tweaked a single element in the recipe, LIKE A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT, to see what happened. I was totally enthralled by the post! Two changes that caught my eye were the use of equal parts baking powder and and baking soda (rather than just baking soda) and the use of melted butter (rather than butter softened to cool room temperature).

Independently, I’ve been thinking about a “Almond Joy” cookie — something with chocolate, almonds, and coconut (duh). But I didn’t want to just throw these into a blonde cookie base. I’ve got some recipes for a chocolate cookie base, but most called for melting baking chocolate or chocolate chips — just too fussy. I have a tasty mocha cookie base that’s based on the Toll House recipe — but it’s not as chocolatey as I imagined for this cookie. So, taking a little inspiration from Tessa, I tweaked this classic cookie base and got the chocolatey depth I wanted, the crisp edges I adore, and a moist center chockfull of coconut and almond chewiness.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup rough-chopped dark chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Gently melt the butter. I like to use a 2-cup Pyrex cup in the microwave: 30 seconds @ 50% power, swirl, 20 seconds @ 40% power, remove. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Pour the butter over the sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low for about a minute. Scrape the paddle and sides, then let the butter and sugar hang out for about five minutes to better dissolve. Then, beat on medium-low for a couple of minutes until fully mixed. [NOTE: You could probably do this by hand with a wooden spoon and good arm muscles]

Add the egg, mix until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla, mix until fully incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients slowly with mixer on low (I added in three increments), scraping frequently. Don’t overmix! Add the chocolate, almonds, and coconut. Mix with the mixer about 3 rotations of the bowl — then stop and finish by hand.

Use a cookie scoop (mine is a generous tablespoon — probably about four teaspoons) to place eight scoops on a parchment-line cookie sheet. You need some room for spread. Put ONE cookie sheet in the oven, cook 6 minutes (set the timer!), rotate the pan, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Pull when the cookies look a bit underdone — there will be carryover cooking as you allow them to cool on the cookie sheet before moving to waxed paper on your countertop to fully cool.

I got 27 cookies out of this recipe, even permitting the cook a few bites of dough (raw egg be damned!).

Serve with ice cold milk, of course!