What to do with all of that Halloween candy Part 1: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

What to do with all of that Halloween candy Part 1: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

If you're anything like me, you have a *&$# load of Halloween candy in your house right now. Over the next two weeks I'm going to be running some great ideas of what to do with it. We're going to be playing with plain chocolate bars, Snickers and Milky Ways, so weasel them away from your kids and let's get cooking!

Today we're rockin' the plain chocolate bars. When we were kids, my mom would take all of the plain Hershey bars from our loot, throw them in the freezer, and use them to make chocolate chunk cookies throughout the year until they disappeared (there were four of us, which meant it took mucho batches). If your kids' booty didn't yield that many plain chocolate bars, now's a great time to buy Halloween candy on clearance at places like the grocery store and drug stores. Like I said, plain chocolate bars freeze well and cookies always look more impressive with hunks of stuff in them rather than just plain chocolate chips. "Ooooh, he or she used chunks of stuff. They must know the queen." Next up are fondues using Snickers and Milky Way bars, so set those bad boys aside now so later your neighbors can be all, "Oooh, he or she makes the fanciest fondues. They must know the queen."

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Here's What You're Gonna Need
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla
2 eggs

2-3 cups (depending on your current menstrual status) of busted up chocolate bars (smacking them against the counter while they're still in wrappers can be very therapeutic)

And Here's What You're Gonna Do
Preheat oven to 375.

Sift together group 1 (flour, baking soda and salt).

In a mixer, beat together group 2 (butter and sugars) until light and a little fluffy. Add the eggs, then the vanilla and mix.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet group. Stir until just combined--don't over mix.

Fold in chocolate chunks.

Use an icecream scoop to drop cookie dough onto an ungreased pan. Bake for about 9 minutes, and you'll have the best cookies on the block.