Dark Chocolate "Black Tar Heroine" Espresso Cookies

Photo by Katie Kay

Remember when I said I wasn't going to bake any more chocolate and peanut butter, and I was going to start baking for Spring?  Well--call me Miley Cyrus, but I can't stop.  I won't stop.  Around here, we love chocolate like David Hasslehoff loves a good cheeseburger.
Last night we were about to sit down for a family movie--which of course requires a snack--and I found this recipe for Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies on the side of a Duncan Hines brownie box.  Haayyyl yayah!  Thanks Duncan Hines, for saving me from being sucked into 2 hours of Pinteresting for a good dessert recipe.  Pinterest is like YouTube.  I waste entire evenings.  I've never actually seen Jimmy Fallon on TV, yet I've seen all of his best material, thanks to YouTube.  Did I see a millisecond of The Oscars on TV?  Nope.  But I saw all the highlights.  Poor Adele Dazeem cracked on that final high note in an otherwise powerfully tearjerking song.
Back to the chocolate.  These were phenomenal on night #1.  Fresh from the oven, they were soft, rich and perfect with cold milk.  Night #2 they firmed up a bit, and were just shy of crunchy.  Dip them in milk and they'll practically fall out of your fingers and into the bottom of your glass, though.
The sign of a great dessert is when Matt compares it to an illegal drug.  It's like, in his head he thinks that this craving for something so wonderful must be what it's like for a crack addict or a meth-head (Is that hyphenated?  Is that what people call them?).   
Matt's words for these cookies?  "Crack cocaine."  I think he's secretly jonesing to try it because that's what he calls all his favorite desserts.  Or it's more likely that his vocabulary for hardcore drugs is just not that expansive.  I think "black tar heroine" has a nice ring to it.
Dark Chocolate "Black Tar Heroine" Espresso Cookies slightly adapted from Duncan Hines
4 Tbsp water 2 Tbsp instant espresso coffee powder 1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie Mix 1 egg 3 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/4 tsp cinnamon 2 cups varied chocolate pieces**
**I used 1/2 bag Guittard Extra Semisweet Chocolate Chips and 1 bar Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate, coarsely broken up.  Next time I would add some white chocolate chunks or chips as well for some color.
Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a small bowl, combine espresso powder and water.  Stir and set aside.
In a mixer bowl, combine remaining ingredients except chocolate pieces.  Beat at medium-low speed, then add espresso liquid and beat, scraping down sides, until combined.
Add chocolate pieces and stir by hand.  Put spoonfuls onto baking sheet, about 3 inches apart.  These flattened quite a bit so leave room!
Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie.  They'll look slightly underdone in the middle when they should be removed from the oven.  They overbake easily.