CHOCOLATE CHIP-COFFEE COOKIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee, powdered or freeze-dried
6 ounce bag chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and, using a spatula, stir together until they are completely blended. Sitr in the instant coffee, chocolate chips, and pecans.

3. Drop by the tablespoonfuls, 1 inch apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake in batches for 11 minutes, until crisp on the bottom. (Reuse parchment paper for each batch.)

4. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before storing in airtight tins or freezer bags.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Deen, Paula, and Martha Nesbit. Paula Deen Celebrates!: Best Dishes and Best Wishes for the Best Times of Your Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 131.

Notes: I used the Starbucks Christmas Blend Via; each packet is about 1/2 teaspoon. I baked for about 9 minutes, so they remained soft. (In a mere second, they can be overcooked, which make them look flat and dried out, so I had to be super vigilant.)