Very close to my place of work in downtown San Francisco is a popular gourmet take-out staged in a former cigar/tobacco stand, aptly named The Sentinel (you can read people’s thoughts on the place here). They serve a rotating, limited menu daily which is updated every morning on their website. Almost every day, they offer their signature chocolate-walnut cookies.
They are amazing. I flatter myself by attempting to re-create this cookie when the chef is so famous in our area…Mine came out almost equally tasty, but a little more chewy and a bit darker in color. A few mornings ago, I asked the Chef when I swung by to get myself a pear muffin at 7:30am, what I might have done wrong. He is pretty short with people, but he told me not to cook them so long. I’ll update this post next time I make these cookies.
3/4 C raw, fresh walnuts (I picked mine up at the Bernal Heights Farmer’s Market in SF)
1/2 C chocolate chips
1 stick butter
3/4 C white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325.
In a food processor, grind walnuts until the texture of fine breadcrumbs or panko. When almost there, add the chocolate chips, and blend so they’re smaller than chocolate chips overall and mixed with the walnuts. Reserve.
Melt the butter, mix with sugar and vanilla. Add the egg & blend. Add walnut mixture, blend. Add flour & other dry ingredients until blended. Add additional flour if necessary to have a solid but not stiff mixture.
Cook several inches apart on parchment/baking paper or on greased pan; I put 6 cookies on a standard sheet and gently press them flat into discs rather than balls, this ensures even spreading so the edges don’t burn.
Bake 6-9 minutes until spread evenly. Allow to cool a few minutes before moving to retain flat, even shape. Makes 8-10 cookies.
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