Salty Cinnamon ChocoChip Cookies

The official public debut of my unnamed opus was the Atlanta Food Bloggers Bake Sale, a very serious anti-hunger rally. This was not your momma's bake sale, the blogger-ific event raised over $1600 for Share our Strength to fight childhood hunger. Let me tell you, there is no group more dedicated to stamping out hunger than the food bloggers.

My cookies sold out at the sale [though not as fast as Kate's Salty Carmel Brownies, but that's another story], with one set of recipe cards calling them 'Snicker Chips' and the other, 'ChocoChip Doodles'. Call it market research. Or a gross overestimation of how many other people enjoy the word 'doodle.'

For this recipe, I was granted a revelation better than all ten commandments combined: Thou shalt refrigerate thy dough overnight. This voice of god moment was brought to you by the New York Times and Jacques Torres' recipe. His recommended refrigeration of the dough really makes a difference. And seems to positively affect the health of those who binge on cookie dough, allowing a day of rest before hot and fresh cookies are present.

So here you have it, my opus, my official cookie recipe for ALL TIME. The recipe my offspring's offspring will be passed down. So much more an heirloom than that Crate & Barrel wedding 'china'. 

But what to call it? How do you capture the triple-flavor essence of sweet, warmly spiced, nutty heaven? There is definitely a choco choco chip base at work here, but it has matured into so much more. Make yourself a batch today, bake it tomorrow, and get back to me with your suggestions.

Speaking of naming this cookie, you can also help name a new flavor of Jake's Ice Cream in support of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and A Taste of the Highlands. Vote now, and maybe we will have tomato ice cream in Atlanta this summer!

The Cookies That Might Possibly Never Be Named
Yield 2 dozen

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 rounded teaspoon salt
cinnamon to taste
1 cup ground pecans
16 oz chocolate chunks

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a bowl. Whir pecans in a food processor until ground to a semi-fine consistency.

2. Soften butter. Cream butter and sugars together until very light, about five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

3. Reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in ground pecans. Stir in chocolate chunks. If time (and hunger) permits, press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24-72 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Drop dough balls onto baking sheet and sprinkle each ball with a pinch of sea salt. Bake 10 minutes.