Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies

What happens when its nearly May and you have a leftover chocolate Easter bunny hanging around? Why you hack him up and make cookies out of him, of course!

Chocolate Chunk Pecan Cookies:

• 1 and 2/3 cups flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup melted butter (slightly less than 1 1/2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 7 ounces of milk or dark chocolate, cut into large chunks
• 3/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
• Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling, if desired

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking soda and whisk well with a wire whisk to combine. Set aside.

2. Pour the melted butter into the bowl of your electric mixer and add the brown sugars, beat well until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and beat on high until combined. Add the vanilla extract and continue to beat until incorporated.

3. Add the reserved flour mixture, by thirds, beating until just combined. Add the chocolate chunks and the chopped pecans and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

4. Using a small soup spoon, form mixture into 1 1/2 inch round balls, packing in the chocolate chunks where necessary, and place on an cookie sheet, roughly an inch or two apart. If desired, sprinkle the top of each cookie with a bit of Fleur de Sel and bake in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 12 - 14 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cook.

As written this recipe will yield approximately 32 to 34 cookies.

Because I'm a salt freak, and because I generally find commercial milk chocolate too sweet, I opted to include the sprinkle of salt. My sacrificial Easter bunny was make of milk chocolate and I like the way the little crunch of salt offsets the sweet chocolate.

If you don't happen to have an extra bunny lying around, any form of chocolate chunk will do. I used a mix of light and dark brown sugar in these cookies, but either will do just fine. And, as always, I opted for my beloved King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour. While the resulting cookies don't exactly qualify as a health-food, I see no reason not to use a whole wheat product in place of all-puprose flour where possible. Your mileage may vary, of course.

If you've never worked with a cookie dough made with melted butter, I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised. The dough is velvety smooth and the finished cookies have a nice, almost faintly butterscotch flavor. They're wonderful.

Bon appetite!

p.s. - I'm submitting this recipe to Dinner at Christina's fun Friday Firsts Feature. Be sure to stop by Christina's place and check out all of the delicious "firsts" this week!