Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Toasted Pecans

I only have one serious problem with these cookies, but for me, it's pretty much a deal-breaker -- huge chunks of white chocolate. Bleh. I can handle white chocolate in small bits, or if it's masked by other flavors, but every time I started to really enjoy these cookies with their chunks of bittersweet chocolate, milk chocolate and hunks of lightly toasted pecans, I would inevitably bite into a large piece of white chocolate and the whole experience would be ruined.

Even when I picked a cookie that looked like it was pretty much devoid of the evil white chocolate, at least one bite would sneak up on me and I would make the icky face again. The fact of the matter is that there are too many great desserts in the world that I enjoy, for me to waste calories on something that I don't like. Which is too bad, because in every other way these cookies are great.

Obviously, if you like white, milk and dark chocolate, these cookies would be great. If you don't like one of the flavors though, you won't like these cookies because the whole point of them is to have large chunks scattered throughout so that each flavor stands on its own.

If you make the recipe the way it's written (in Carole Walters' book Great Cookies) the cookies look gorgeous with obvious chunks strewn across the tops. I was lazy of course, and just thew all the chopped chocolate and pecans into the mixer and let the mixer do the work for me. It's not that my version is ugly -- just that pressing the pecans individually into the top as the recipe specifies creates a very impressive-looking cookie and going the lazy route creates a cookie that looks like like just about every other chocolate chunk cookie out there.



2 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate*, roughly chopped
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate*, roughly chopped
4 ounces white chocolate*, roughly chopped
1 & 1/2 to 2 cups of toasted whole pecans

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 & 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add dark brown sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes. Add granulated sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add vanilla and beat for about 30 seconds.

Gradually add dry ingredients. Stir in chocolates.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets (ungreased or with Silpats) about 3 inches apart. Do not crowd cookies because they will spread.

Place two or three pecans on top of each mound of cookie dough.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until tops are just set and the edges are lightly browned.

Cool cookies for 4-5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.