What to eat with the curtains closed: Milk’s ooey-gooey chocolate cookies

Have you ever had something that tasted so good you were almost embarrassed to eat it in public? These chocolate cookies are that something.

You might consider closing the curtains when you bake a few batches of these, from chef Bret Thompson’s bake shop at Milk. (They’re the ones in the restaurant’s “cookie basket,” which it seems you can order for delivery, with chocolate and dulce de leche sauce, a Milk T-shirt — even a Milk onesie.)

Both bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, as well as cocoa powder, are folded into a rich cookie dough, which is baked just long enough for each cookie to set up on the outside while remaining happily gooey on the inside. Messy? Yes. But who cares, since nobody’s watching you eat these anyway.

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MILK’S OOEY-GOOEY CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Total time: 40 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time for the batter | Makes 1 1/2 dozen
Note: Adapted from Bret Thompson of Milk in Los Angeles.

1/4 pound (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet chocolate (chunks or chips)

1. In a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

2. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a fork, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Mix just until incorporated and set aside.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

4. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and mix just until combined. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until combined, then stir in the bittersweet chocolate.

5. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Divide the dough into 18 portions. Grease your hands (to prevent the dough from sticking) and shape the portions into balls. Place the balls on a greased, parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 2 to 3 inches between each.

7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are just set and the center is still soft, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Place the cookies, still on the parchment, on a rack and cool completely before serving. They will be very soft.

Each cookie: 251 calories; 4 grams protein; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 42 mg. cholesterol; 92 mg. sodium.

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