chocolate almond cookies

My 9-year old adopted sister is coming by to visit for my parents' anniversary lunch and for us to celebrate her birthday (Sept 17) and just like any kid, she loves loves chocolate so I'm making these chocolatey, nutty treats because she's the kind of kid that goes out to play outside and only comes back in to drink water and get cookies from the cookie jar so this is just perfect for when she decides she needed a shot of sugar rush.

I also use these cookies as base of an ice cream sandwich since the texture is chewy and soft but firm enough to hold the ice cream. And since it's a soft cookie, it doesn't crack when you bite into the sandwich therefore less mess.

Chocolate Almond Cookies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup toasted, cooled, and finely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together into a bowl. Set the dry ingredients aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and cream together on medium-high speed until very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl.

Add the egg on medium-low speed and beat to incorporate.

Scrape the bowl and the paddle and add the pecans, vanilla extract, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients on low speed in 3 or 4 additions and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down all the way to the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, to be sure everything is well mixed.

Chill the cookie dough an hour or longer before shaping.

When you are ready to shape and bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Portion the dough using a 1/3-ounce (or #100) ice cream scoop. (If you dont have a scoop, use about 2 teaspoons of dough per cookie.) You should get 30 cookies.

Place the cookies 3/4 to 1-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets and use your fingers to press them flat, a little less than 1/4-inch thick. 
Bake until cooked through and the cookies feel set, about 7-9 minutes. Do not open the oven door while they are baking. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before removing the cookies with a metal spatula. Cool cookies completely before filling.