double choc chunk cookies

the final installment of this cookie non-sense, for now!

hi hi hello!

Alrighty folks, here it is, the “final” iteration of this base cookie recipe, a double chocolate chunk cookie. It’s been a wild month, lots of cookies have been made and consumed.

I feel like cookies is where bake club should have started. Because, oh my god, you can learn so much about baking from cookies. I really hope that from brain dump after brain dump- you’ve picked up on a thing or two. Because, 95% of this shit, it applies to everything you bake. Techniques man, hold them with you. Adding milk powder to butter while it browns, that’s not only for cookies. Do it for a cake, or add it to buttercream.

As a recipe developer who is sharing recipes on the internet, it’s crazy for me to say this, but I don’t want you to make my recipes. Like, sure that’s what they’re there for and I mean I do want you to make them. But, i’d much rather you take even one thing that I have to share and just apply it to the recipes you already love. The extra browned butter, that’s not hyper specific to my recipe, you can apply that to yours. Torching the meringue for your buttercream? That technique can be applied to any meringue, swiss, italian, french. I mean after all, that’s something I picked up from a marshmallow video- its not the recipe it’s a technique! Like, as cool as it is to see you guys bake the recipes I develop, I think it’s even cooler to explore your own creativity and preferences in the food you make.

One last time, our cookie point of reference:

Base cookie ingredients:

• 150 grams butter, melted & cooled

• 75 grams granulated sugar

• 140 grams dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 225 grams all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon (10 grams) cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

• 150 grams dark chocolate of your choice

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To add cocoa powder and double choc chunk it UP! And sorry, at this point in the year I don’t have the brain power to get in depth in it (some of you jump to recipe folks might even be thankful for that!!) But, basically, cocoa powder, kinda acts like a starch (it’s not classified as one, but does contain starches) and will soak up tons of moisture, so you can’t just add it to a recipe without drying things out. Cocoa powder is also, bitter, so to combat the drying effect and make sure the cookie isn’t too bitter, we up the sugar in the recipe a little. Because remember, sugar is hygroscopic and draws out moisture from it’s surroundings.

We also, don’t just add cocoa powder in, we sub, yeah you guessed it, some of the AP flour out for the cocoa powder. Since the cocoa powder is not a wheat product, it won’t form gluten. So, we have to find a happy middle ground, where there’s enough cocoa powder in the recipe to give you a chocolate flavor but not so much that the cookie lacks structure. For cookies, I find that the 28-30% range tends to work best, super chocolatey, and a fudgey brownie like center.

Then, to drive that chocolate flavor home, we add a little espresso powder, a little vanil, and extra salt. All of these are besties to chocolate, and they just want to see her shine, so they support her in doing so!

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Double chunk chocolate chip cookies

Tools:

• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer *optional*

• Digital Scale

• Rubber Spatula

• Baking Trays

• Parchment paper, precut sheets for the WIN

• Cookie Scoop

• Mixing Bowl

• Teaspoon measures

Ingredients:

• 150 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled

• 110 grams granulated sugar

• 125 grams dark brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 160 grams all purpose flour

• 65 grams dutch processed cocoa powder

• 1 tablespoon (10 grams) cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 150 grams dark chocolate of your choice, chips, chopped bars etc etc

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the 150 grams melted butter, 110 grams granulated sugar and 125 grams dark brown sugar. Beat with the paddle until combined. You can do it by hand or with an electric hand mixer too should you not have a stand mixer.

2. While the butter and sugar gets to know each other, weigh out the 160 grams all purpose flour, 65 grams dutch processed cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder and 1 teaspoon DC kosher salt into a medium bowl. Use the spatula to quickly give it a mix and disperse the leavening agents throughout. Set aside.

3. To the butter and sugars add the 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk along with the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture is emulsified and smooth.

4. Add the dries to the mixer. Mix on low speed just until the dries are just incorporated to the wets, with a few floury streaks remaining. Stop the mixer and scrape the bow and the paddle to ensure an even mix.

5. Add the 150 grams of dealer’s choice dark chocolate to the mixer and beat on low for a few seconds just until the chocolate is dispersed, you can finish folding everything together by hand with a rubber spatula.

6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop your desired size of cookie onto a parchment lined sheet tray. They can be close enough to touch at this point because you’re gonna put the dough in the fridge/freezer for at least an hour but preferably overnight. Wrap the tray in plastic wrap to keep everything fresh and free of freezer smells. *you can also stick the dough balls in the fridge just long enough to firm up before transferring into a freezer bag or other air tight container*

7. 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake preheat the oven to an actual internal temp of 355F.

8. Arrange your dough on a parchment lined baking tray.

9. Now, the size of your desired dough ball varies and so will the bake time. Smaller cookies will take 8-12 minutes to bake, while larger cookies can take up to 18 minutes. 8 minutes is a great starting point, at which time you can rotate the baking sheet and add more time as needed for cookies. You’ll know the cookies are done when the edges are set, that raw sheen that a cookie has is gone and they’re slightly puffed in the middle.

10. Allow to cool before eating, just enough so you don’t burn your mouth (;

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Some other ways to remix this cookie:

• Keep it festive and sub the chocolate for chopped peppermint bark or use 1/2-1 teaspoon of peppermint extract in place of the vanilla. With peppermint a little goes a long way!

• Spice things up- I love love love cardamom + chocolate, so adding a little smoked cardamom would go really well here! But, like a spicy choc moment could be fine too, with a touch of cinnamon and cayenne in the dough!

• Chocolate and cherry is a sexy little flavor combo, maybe use any left over dried cherries you have from making the orange blossom oaties in this dough too!

• Add chopped toasted hazelnuts and sub the vanilla extract for frangelico, maybe add a little orange zest to the sugar. An ultra classic combo!

• As with all the recipes, just have fun and be creative !