Chips off the old chocolate block

Sometimes I want to smash something and know it will end up delicious. Like a couple of days ago ... I  hammered 8 ounces of Kallebut, the best chocolate, on the step outside our kitchen door. Talk about satisfying! There were shards and lumps, sweet and dark multipliers of the 3-inch thick wedge I started with. (I made sure to put the chocolate in a plastic bag first.)

It made the best chocolate chip cookies I know. Here's the recipe, and I've copied it below too. It's worth the $1/ounce you will pay for chocolate, and the $6 (minimum) for two vanilla beans. You won't make them often. Think twice before sharing.

Zingerman's Funky Chunky Dark Chocolate Cookies

1 2/3 C. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. fine sea salt
2 vanilla beans
1/2 C. butter, at room temperature
1/2 C. firmly packed muscovado or dark brown sugar
1/4 C. plus 2 T. sugar
1 large egg
8 oz. dark chocolate, broken or chopped into bite-sized pieces
4 oz. walnut halves and pieces, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk together flour, soda, and salt.
3. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise with a small, sharp knife. With the tip of a small spoon, scrape out the seeds into a large bowl. Add the butter and mix together. Stir in the sugars and egg and mix until creamy. Gradually add the flour mixture. When thoroughly combined, stir in chocolate and nuts. Chill dough 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment. For each cookie, form 1/4 C. of dough into a ball, then press out on the cookie sheet to about 1/4" thick and about 3 1/2" diameter. (You can also make smaller cookies.)
5. Bake one sheet at a time for 7-10 minutes. (We like them crisper, so I baked them for 13 minutes.), or until cookies are golden brown and baked through. Cool on the baking sheet for one minute, then transfer to a rack.
6. Serve hot or cool. Store for up to two weeks.