Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons good-quality vanilla extract (not imitation)
• 2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup pecans
• 1/3 to 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. In stovetop skillet, toast nuts gently; chop coarsely
3. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.
4. In large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color.
5. Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
6. Add cayenne pepper; start with 1/3 tsp, and add a little bit at a time until you figure out how much you like. You're looking for a pleasant warming sensation to complement the chocolate, not necessarily spicy (though we found a bit of heat was quite good, and well-received by others; experiment liberally with this).
7. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
8. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
9. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack.