For this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp, Jen challenged us to work with dough and batter.
After my foray into fried dough last week with the Daring Bakers doughnuts, I felt I didn’t want to work with anything too complicated like that. I had also recently worked with pastry for French Fridays with Dorie’s mustard tart so so I was excited to see the chapter (36) included some recipes for cookies too. I chose the Chocolate Chunk Cookies because I am always on the lookout for a great chocolate chip cookie recipe, though I still think that for nostalgia, nothing beats my mum’s version of Toll House Cookies.
For this recipe, I used chunks of bittersweet chocolate that I roughly chopped with a chef’s knife – unfortunately, some of the pieces of chocolate were a little small though the cookies had their fair share of chunks, because I doubled the amount of chocolate the original recipe called for. I like a lot of chocolate in my cookie!
The recipe, comically, makes 12 dozen cookies (ahem) so I simply divided it down to a more reasonable 16 cookies.
I made freeform and rolled and cut cookies and have to say I preferred the freeform ones – more homestyle.
Adapted from The Professional Chef Chapter 36
Ingredients (makes 16 large cookies or 32 small ones)
220g plain (all-purpose) flour
5g salt
3g baking soda
144g butter, room temperature
95g sugar
70g light brown sugar
1 egg
5ml vanilla essence
50g semisweet chocolate chunks
Method
1. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Cream butter and the sugars together until the mixture is smooth and light in colour, around 5 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla and egg, mixing until both are fully incorporated.
5. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chunks and mix until just incorporated.
6. Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and place on baking trays, flattening slightly*
7. Bake at 375F/190C until golden around the outside edges (12-14 minutes).
8. Cool on baking trays if you like a crunchier cookie, on a cooling rack if you prefer a chewier texture.
* If you prefer a more uniform shape, you can roll your dough into two logs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you can slice the dough easily. Slice each log into eight pieces and bake on prepared trays.
Were these the bet chocolate chip cookies I have ever eaten? Sadly, no. But they are definitely worth working on. Neil and I really like chewy cookies and these were a little too crisp for our liking, though they did improve with age and were slightly more chewy the next day. The taste, however, was spot on – I loved the smaller and the larger chunks mixed in together. I think next time I will experiment with less time in the oven and put them in airtight containers when they are still a little warm to ensure maximum chewiness. In any case, it’s a great base recipe to have on hand.
In case you are wondering, yes, I made it through to Round 7 of Project Food Blog and am madly working on bringing a recipe to life through a video. Thank you all for your support and votes – look out for my video (my first! eeek!) sometime later this week!
** Did you know? Jamie Oliver is speaking in Toronto on November 18th. Thanks to The Art of Cooking, I am able to offer a discount to you, my readers, of $10 per ticket (more if you purchase more than 5 tickets). Click here for the special promotion code to be applied to your ticket price. Don’t miss this event – I saw Jamie speak last year and it was inspirational to say the least. It inspired me to start Les Petits Chefs, for one…
Mardi, smart move doubling the amount of chocolate in your cookies! I like to go for about 1/3 or 1/2 chocolate 😛
I think I could have added even more!!
12 dozen cookies?! Who needs 12 dozen cookies?!? I mean, I’m sure I could find a use for them but we’re almost in bikini weather so this is just asking for trouble.
I have a secret little joy with having to divide down recipes as it is MATHS IN ACTION! Those people who declare they they never need maths skills in everyday life are doomed to cookie baking failure. Sucked in, maths haters.
Chunktastic Mardi. I’d do the truffle shuffle for some of these.
See now if I could combine “Math for Baking” with “Le français par la cuisine” I think we’d have a winning business. Move to Canada and help me out? 😉
These look really good.
I am with you on the freeform cookies. I only ever roll mine out if I am going to be making something from them {like a cookie cake or homemade Oreos} or if they are getting the cookie cutter treatment.
These look so good that I bet you could’ve got through 12 dozen. Trick or treaters would have loved them!
Actually we ate them as we were giving out candy!!!
they look amazing!!! yummy!!!!!!! 😀
I like the way the cookies are so rustic and inviting.
Yes I am all about the rustic look too.
Beautiful cookies!
16 cookies is ok… not 12 dozens! That is way too many…. unless they are super awesome. And yes, I think less a couple of minutes in the oven will do the trick!
Yes The Professional Chef always makes huge quantities of everything!
I love that this recipe makes 12 dozen cookies. You could open a bake shop between that and the delicious-looking macarons you make.
Right, except that macarons would only be available some days (when they work!)
Do you know how proud I am that you’ve made it this far? You are one of my favorite bloggers and I can’t wait to see what you do with your video.
And I should add that these cookies look fantastic! Can’t go wrong with Chocolate Chunk!
Thanks Brian! If I could send you a cookie, I would!
I like chewy cookies too. Good to know these improve the second day…if they last that long!
Yes that’s the problem, right?
They may not be your fave but they sure do look pretty! Nothing beats a good classic chocolate chip cookie. And congrats on making it to another round! Can’t wait to see the video!
Thanks Evan! I will make these again and improve on them!
These cookies look fabulous!
Double the chocolate! That’s a perfect idea. My chocolate chip cookie secret is sprinkling on a teeny bit of sea salt crystals before baking.
Oh that is a GREAT idea Carrie – next time!
Oh so tempting….I’m trying to be healthy this month and you’re not helping…just sayin they look soooo good!
Well just one wouldn’t hurt, right?
Love your notepad Mardi… oh, and those *extra* chocolaty cookies aren’t too shabby either. 😉
Yes they’re your kinda cookies Josie!
Oh yes, gotta love the chocolate cookies, nice one Mardi 🙂
Cheers Anna!
I actually love the fact that the originally recipe makes 12 dozen. I’m sure they freeze well and nothing like having a few chocolate chunk cookies always at the ready. These look delicious and I don’t think you can ever do any harm to this cookie by adding even more chocolate 😉
Yes if I had a big freezer, I might have made a few dozen…. More chocolate is always good too!
I love it… the cookies look delicious! 🙂
What an awesome looking cookie and so well deserved Top9 on Foodbuzz great job!
Thanks so much. They were pretty good looking!
What a pretty picture on your final cookie! I like it. Chocolate chip cookies can never go wrong.
Sorry I’m so late on commenting… But, these cookies look lovely. Thanks so much for participating in the challenge despite your crazy schedule. I totally appreciate it 🙂
Oh Jen, these are my favourite challenges…