Creating the ultimate chocolate chunk cookie is a tough thing to do; the simplest cookie is probably the hardest to perfect. Everyone has their own favorite, there is the Chips Ahoy type: crunchy, great for dipping in milk cookie, and there is the refrigerator dough like Toll House or Pillsbury: soft, plump, and chewy cookie.
For me, it has to be crispy but not too crispy, only enough on the edges. And it has to be chewy in the center so when you break it open you see that delicious chocolatey gooeyness. Of course there's that yummy buttery, salty, vanilla-ey, dark brown sugar taste as well. It's going to be tough to satisfy my own criteria but I decided I was up for the challenge and have made it my new project.
For my first attempt I took two recipes I had done in the past and tried to get the qualities I liked in each one. One was chewy and plump with a nice amount of chocolate, and the other had a great taste to the dough -- salty, brown sugar, and vanilla. So, I catered my first recipe to try and combine those qualities I liked.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies -- Attempt #1
(makes 2 dozen cookies)
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (95 g) bread flour
3/4 cup (95 g ) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, softened & cubed
1 egg
1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) granulated sugar
75 g bittersweet chocolate (whole pistoles or disks, or bar, chopped) *
75 g milk chocolate(whole pistoles or disks, or bar, chopped) *
*I use whole Valrhona pistoles of chocolate -- try to use as high quality as you an it makes a difference!
Preparation:
1. Pre-heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flours with salt and baking soda, set aside.
3. Cream butter with sugars in stand mixer until light and fluffy on medium-low speed.
4. Scrape down. Add egg with vanilla on medium speed and mix until well combined.
5. Add dries on low speed, mix just to combine.
6. Stir in chocolate just to combine.
7. Chill dough for at least 2 hours.
8. Option 1: Roll dough into two 12 x 2.5 " logs and chill. Option 2: scoop 2 heaping
tablespoon full-sized cookies onto baking sheet 2 inches apart, and chill, about 30 min.
9. Cut dough by 1/4 inch if using the log method and roll into balls, placing them on a
baking sheet 2 inches apart.
10. Bake a total of 12 minutes, rotating halfway. The dough should be nicely browned on
the edges and a light brown on the rest of the cookie.
11. Let cook on wire rack.
12. Eat!
The Verdict: Needs more chocolate gooeyness
The taste is spot on just what I wanted, dark brown sugar, vanilla, salt all there. The texture is great too chewy and crisp on the edges. But! Everyone agreed it needs more chocolate and more dough. So that means increase the chocolate and work on increasing the body of the cookie. It could mean changing a number of things, the ratio of flour to moisture in the cookie, the type of sugar, the amount of leavening...I better get to work on the next one!
I'll be back soon with Attempt #2. In the meantime, give these a try they're still worth it!
