Even though I bake a ton of desserts and experiment with not–so–normal sweets, sometimes I just crave chocolate chip cookies. Baking them, that is. So this time I decided not to make just regular chocolate chip cookies (you know, the kind from the back of a chocolate chip bag), but giant ones with lots of chunks and some sea salt. A grown up version, I guess.
I decided that I like chocolate chunks much better than I like chocolate chips. And I like them big, so what better way to make big chocolate chunks than to chop a chocolate bar myself? There is none. I chopped up a few bars of chocolate I found in the grocery store. I used about a pound of semisweet, bittersweet, and milk chocolate mixed. Might as well use all different kinds. I got big chunks and small shards, which added a nice chocolatey-ness to the cookies. After shaping a dozen cookies, I added walnuts to the batter. My mom likes walnuts, so why not make special enormous chocolate chip cookies for her and the others who like the crunch of nuts in their cookies? I ended up having 12 nut-less cookies and 7 with nuts. I actually got more than the recipe said, woohoo! An extra cookie just for me.
Obviously, the batter was amazing. But don’t just eat all the batter because the actual cookies are also pretty awesome. Try it.
I used a scale for this recipe, but only for the flour. I tried measuring the flour after weighing it and it was 3 1/2 cups. Chocolate chip cookies are forgiving enough to not need exact measurements, so don’t worry if you don’t have a scale.
Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted from David Leite, who adapted from Jacques Torres:
Ingredients:
- 17 ounces all purpose flour (3 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 1/2 sticks ( 1 1/4 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pound chocolate chunks, assorted
- Walnuts, optional (about 1/2 cup, depending on taste)
Directions:
1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together on medium speed until they turn light brown. This should take about five minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.
4. Add the vanilla.
5. Turn the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, stopping once it becomes incorporated, about 10 seconds.
6. Using a spoon or an ice cream scooper, scoop out cookies. If you have a scale, they should be 3.5 ounces. If not, eyeball it. They should be a little bigger than a golf ball and you should get about 18. I got 19. Cover the cookies and chill in the fridge for 24 hours or up to 72 hours. Alternatively, stash them in the freezer.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
9. Bake the cookies, 6 on a sheet pan, for 18-20 minutes (add about 5 minutes if you took them out of the freezer).
10. Let cool on a baking rack, 10 minutes. Then transfer to a plate and let cool a little while longer before eating. Enjoy!
