BRUSH
Keeping It Clean

This recipe is great for all year round, but its origins come from my creative tinkering around the Passover holiday. Those of us who have suffered at the hands of really terrible Passover bakers look in every nook and cranny for a decent cookie recipe (okay, maybe not everybody). What to do? Matzo and jelly just do not make the grade as a suitable dessert for the whole week. So I started experimenting with the cake mixes; they had flavorings that simply were not otherwise available to the home baker.

My family and friends love the results at Passover, and now I have this recipe for the rest of the year. I do not know why I bought the brownie mix, but now I'm so glad I did. These cookies are rich, chocolatey and of course, braces friendly. What could be better? Oh yes, and they are simple to make, too!

• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 package brownie mix (I used Duncan Hines)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Beat these ingredients together.

Add

• 2 c. semi-sweet or milk chocolate, chopped, about 12 oz.
• 2 c. pecans, toasted and chopped, optional

Chill the dough for two hours or overnight.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet or on parchment paper sprayed with vegetable spray.

Bake at 350° for about 8 minutes on the center rack of the oven. Bake until cookies are set and still a little soft in the center. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Allow cookies to rest on the cookie sheet 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with metal spatula to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes:

1. I like to store these cookies at room temperature in a plastic wrap lined tin. They keep almost at a week at room temperature and about 3 months in the freezer.
2. You could use 2 Tbsp. plain vegetable oil if you cannot use butter.

A Cookie Lady Recipe