Chocolate Temptations

INGREDIENTS:

-5 1/2 tbsp butter

-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

-1 tsp strong coffee

-2 eggs

-3/4 cup brown sugar

-1 1/3 cup flour

-1/4 tsp baking powder

-pinch of salt

-2 tsp almond extract

-1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

-1/2 cup cashews, chopped

-2 oz. white chocolate

HOW TO:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 cup chocolate, butter and coffee in bowl. Microwave until melted. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Gradually add brown sugar. Add chocolate mixture to eggs. Stir til combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and almond extract. Stir in nuts.

Place golf size spoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheet. Shape into a ball to stay round after baking. Bake for 16 minutes. Cool on wire rack. When cookies are completely cooled, melt the white chocolate and drizzle over cookies then melt the rest of the chocolate chips (along with some crisco) and drizzle over cookies as well. Let it harden.

Makes about 30 cookies.

**So this recipe was interesting. Although it baked well and was easy to prepare, if you want a stronger coffee flavor, add at least 1 more tsp of coffee to the mix. Also, if you want more of a dough texture and not so many nuts, add 1/2 the amount of nuts listed. Or, use only one kind of nut. I personally like almonds or cashews in my cookies. The hazelnut is a little bitter. The cookies look really chocolatey and sweet but they're actually not that sweet at all. If you're like me and like more of a rich, chocolate flavor, either add more chocolate chips (to the 1/4 cup) or add some sugar to the brown sugar. Otherwise, they're very easy and so much fun to decorate. Enjoy!!!**