So, it's 11:00pm on a Wednesday night, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow, haven't packed, haven't washed my hair, and I'm baking cookies. Chewy chocolate almond cookies.  I just put the dough in the fridge to chill for an hour and it smells ahhhh-mazing!  Mmmmm... I love almonds. And chocolate.  So I'm very excited for the chilling to end and the baking to start.

Updates will come later!

2:05am

Oh yea.... these cookies are super tasty. It could be sleep deprivation, but I'm so incredibly content right now. Crispy, almond-y, crunchy, chewy and amazing.  I tweaked the recipe a bit and added 2 teaspoons of almond extract to bump up the almond flavor.  Recipe is below!

Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter; room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used Scharffen Berger)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds; coarsely chopped
Directions
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after the addition of each egg.
3. Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt. Turn your mixer to low and gradually add the sifted ingredients; mix until just combined.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
6. Measure the dough using a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Roll the dough in your hands until it forms a uniform ball and place on your lined baking sheet.
7. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Remove from the oven and let cool slightly (about 3 minutes) on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.