We made a batch of these cookies last weekend, and they were so good and so easy that I have to save the recipe here before I pack up the Dahlia Bakery cookbook that they are from in advance of our move.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook
This all-American cookie packed with chunks of top-quality chocolate never seems
to go out of style. In our business we see food trends come and go; thank
goodness the all-American chocolate chunk is here to stay.
I like eating this cookie about 20 minutes out of the oven, when it has set
enough to be slightly chewy in the middle and crisp on the edges, but the
chocolate chunks inside are still soft and almost melted.
Chocolate chunks are usually easy to find in supermarkets, or you can order
them online. For the best-tasting cookies, look for a top-quality brand of chocolate
chunks such as Scharffen Berger (see “Our Favorite Chocolates,” page 21). Or,
instead of buying chunks, you can carefully cut up bars of chocolate into ½2-inch
chunks using a sharp knife. We use a combination of milk chocolate and bittersweet
chocolate chunks in our cookies, but if you prefer you can use just one or the other.
Moist brown sugar, the kind that comes in a resealable plastic bag rather than a
box, is preferred for this recipe.
Kosher salt is coarser than table salt. If you substitute table salt, cut the quantity
in half.
Ingredients
3 large eggs at room temperature (see “How to Bring Ingredients to Room Temperature,” page 12)2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3½ cups (1 pound plus 1 ounce/ 482 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons (10½ ounces/ 298 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8% ounces/ 250 grams) packed moist brown sugar
1¼ cups (9 ounces/250 grams) granulated sugar
1½/2 cups (9 ounces/255 grams) milk chocolate chunks
1½/ cups (9 ounces/255 grams) bittersweet chocolate chunks
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Break the eggs into a small bowl, add the vanilla extract, and whisk by hand to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and both sugars. Cream on medium-high speed until very light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula. Beating on medium speed, add about half of the egg-vanilla mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining egg-vanilla mixture, beating briefly to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the electric mixer, beating on low speed until they look evenly distributed. Scrape down the bowl and mix for another 10 seconds or just until everything is combined. Do not overmix. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until just combined. Remove the paddle and scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula, making sure all the dry ingredients down to the bottom of the bowl are incorporated.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and use an ice cream scoop to portion the cookies in 2½2-ounce (about ¼-cup) portions, placing them evenly apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per pan (see “How to Scoop Muffins, Cookies, and Cupcakes, page 74). (Note: there is no need to flatten the mounds of cookie dough before baking unless you have chilled the dough before scooping.)
- Bake the cookies until mostly golden brown but slightly paler in the middle of the cookie (if you were to pick one up gently with a spatula, it would be browned on the bottom), 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. If you have 2 pans of cookies in the oven at the same time, also switch them between the racks. For the best texture, do not overbake.
- Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before using a metal spatula to remove the cookies from the baking sheet.
Comments welcome!