A fancy twist on an old classic by Jacques Torres
I still haven't settled on "my" chocolate chip cookie recipe, so I thought I'd give this version a shot. They were crispy on the outside and soft in the center with a really fun crunch as I bit into them. Don't try this recipe without a box of Malden Flaky Sea Salt handy and be sure to use chocolate that is at least 60% cacao.
50/50 Bread Flour & Cake Flour
This recipe calls for a 50/50 split of cake flour and bread flour. I happened to have both of these types of flour in my pantry so I was happy to follow the directions as written.
You Have to Chill Them Overnight
After mixing the dough, these cookies need to chill overnight in the fridge for at least 24 hours (maybe even a bit longer). I'm no expert, but there is quite the science behind chilling cookie dough:
Read this article from King Arthur Flour on Chilling Cookie Dough.
To summarize the talking points of the article chilling the dough:
Prevents the cookies from spreading too much resulting in bite sized morsels that are the perfect shape and size.
Chilling also concentrates the flavor of any food, so your cookies will have a more robust and complex flavor profile post chill.
If you’re short on time, try and squeeze in at least a half an hour of fridge time if you can. 30 minutes will do the trick if you’re simply aiming to avoid spread but if you do have the luxury of chilling the dough overnight to develop flavor – go for it. The recipe suggests not chilling for longer than 36 hours so that the texture of the cookie isn't too dry.
fancy-ish chocolate chip cookies
by Jacques Torres
adapted by David Leite for The New York Times
8 1/2 ounces cake flour
8 1/2 ounces bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces light brown sugar
8 ounces granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
15 oz. bag of bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao content minimum)
flaky sea salt for garnish (I use Malden)
Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars together using a mixer with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes until very light. Drop in the eggs one at a time mixing well after each effort. Stir in the vanilla and reduce the speed to low as you incorporate the dry ingredients to the mix. Mix until just combined, no more than 10 seconds. Drop in your chocolate pieces, cover with plastic wrap and pop the dough in the fridge overnight to chill. (anything is better than nothing here and more than two days is too much)
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop out 3 1/2 ounces of dough per cookie and line the tray. Careful not to overcrowd them!
Bake for a total of 18 minutes, and be sure to sprinkle flaky sea salt on them mid bake as they begin to flatten out.
Recipe adapted for the blog and sourced from The New York Times.
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