Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Position an oven rack on the center rung. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment (or grease and flour the pan).

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Stir to combine; let cool.

In an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium high to a ribbon consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Take the bowl off the mixer. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla; stir to combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Stir the flour mixture and the nuts into the batter; let the batter rest for 5 minutes. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a #4 tip (or into a heavy-duty zip-top bag with one bottom corner snipped to create a 2/3-inch diagonal opening).

For each cookie, pipe 1 tablespoon batter onto the lined baking sheet. While you pipe the second tray, bake the first until the cookies are puffed and cracked and the tops barely spring back when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. The cracks should be moist but not wet. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.

VARIATION:
Substitute 1-1/2 teaspoons mint extract for the vanilla and the nuts.

NOTES:
All recipes can be doubled easily; use a 13x9-inch pan and increase the baking time slightly. The recipes give a range of baking times - use the shorter time for metal pans, the longer for Pyrex pans.