Triple Chocolate Chunk & Pistachio Cookies

Do you know what I love about the world? Little favors. Little favors that take a craptastic day and turn it into a less craptastic day. It's especially uplifting when the little favors are perpetrated by a total stranger because it restores just a little bit of faith in humanity.

Like two weeks ago in the Kroger by my sister's house. See, I'd found out earlier that day that we had to put our dog, Daisy, down. It ripped a hole in my heart, and I tried to make myself feel better by going to the gym. It's hard to feel sad in Zumba when you're making a fool of yourself. And I did feel better while I was there, but then it was raining and gross outside. On the way back to my sister's I decided to stop at Kroger because it was easier to get to during rush hour. I grabbed a few things and parked myself in the wine section to find a decently priced bottle (P.S. Kroger, your mark-up was a little ridic). I was checking out, and the clerk asked if I had a Kroger card. I said I didn't, and the man in line behind me said "Oh here" and had the clerk scan his card for me. I thanked him, paid, then turned back and said "If I'd known that was gonna happen, I'd have picked a better bottle of wine." He laughed, I laughed and thanked him again, and I left with my heart a little lighter because he did a little something nice.

Is it just me or does a roasted pistachio look like Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors? If you haven't seen the movie, Google it then watch it ASAP. If you have, do you see it?

I became obsessed with the thought of these cookies the second I saw Joy the Baker's picture on Instagram. My personal twist comes in the form of chocolate. Or rather, chocolates, plural. It's really a simple chocolate chip cookie with pretty purple and green pistachios stirred into the dough. You'll need: Sugar, pistachios, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, egg, butter, salt, baking soda, and a mixture of milk, semisweet, and bittersweet chocolates.

It starts as most cookies do. Cream together the sugars and butter. I would live off cookie dough if I could.

Add your egg and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the butter mixture.

Y'all, I just want to live in this bowl.

Stir in your chocolates and pistachios, both chopped.

It doesn't need too much mixing. You just want the chocolates and nuts to be well distributed throughout the dough.

Scoop two tablespoonfuls of dough for each cookie onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies because they'll spread.

Here's the secret weapon. Smoked sea salt. I'm not telling you to go buy smoked sea salt for this recipe. I'm telling you to buy smoked sea salt if you think you'll use it for other recipes too. It truly adds a salty depth of flavor to these cookies. I think it works especially well against the sweetness of the milk chocolate. At any rate, sprinkle a little over each cookie before baking.

Bake cookies until they're lightly golden brown and just a little crisp around the edges.

It would've been so easy to eat every cookie in that stack. That salty, salty bite from the pistachios and the sprinkling of smoked salt makes the chocolate all the more addictive. Can't stop, won't stop!

I think you should go get all the ingredients to make these cookies and do a favor for a stranger while you're out. Maybe you scan your grocery store card for them. Or you let a lady go in front of you because she only has two items. It's the little favors.

Triple Chocolate Chunk & Pistachio Cookies (Makes 18-24 cookies)
Lightly adapted from Joy the Baker

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c each milk, semisweet, and bittersweet chocolate, either chips or chopped bars
1 c shelled roasted & salted pistachios, roughly chopped
Smoked sea salt (optional, but you really should)

• Place the oven racks in the top third of the oven. Preheat oven to 300º. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Cream butter and sugars together in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolates and pistachios.
• Scoop the dough onto the baking sheets, using about 2 tablespoons for each cookie. If you're like me, you tend to use a heaping tablespoon, which will give you a larger cookie but smaller quantity. Leave about two inches between each cookie to allow for spreading. Sprinkle sea salt on each cookie just before baking. Bake 18-22 minutes or until cookies are just golden brown and the edges are crispy.