I have a serious love for choc chip cookies. They have always been my kryptonite. But I am super picky when it comes to the cookies that come out of my oven. People have all sorts of different preferences when it comes to choc chip cookies. Some prefer dark to milk chocolate. Some people prefer chewy over crunchy, some like flat and crispy others like thick & chunky. And don’t even get me started on the nut debate. 😊
Personally, I like a thick cookie that is crunchy on the outside & chewy on the inside. I like mine to be made with dark chocolate & sprinkled with a little sea salt to really bring out the sweetness of the chocolate.
I’ve tried a lot of different recipes over the years (were talking 100 plus, I might possibly be a little obsessive) & so far this is the best I’ve found. I always come back to this recipe & while I’ve made a few little tweaks here to account for my tastes & preferences the recipe itself is thanks to the kitchen god himself Mr David Lebovitz. Who truly is a culinary hero of mine.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
2 & 1/2 cups (350 g) Plain Flour
3/4 Tsp Bi-Carb Soda
1/8 Tsp salt
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 Tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (about 225 g) of Pecans, you can of course use whatever nuts you prefer but Pecans are my personal favourite
400 grams good quality dark Chocolate chips. I prefer Callebaut. You can alternatively chop up 400 grams of good quality dark chocolate if you can’t find quality choc chips. Don’t be tempted to use cheap chocolate here. It really does make all the difference.
Sea Salt Flakes
Method
1. Roast your Pecans in a 180C oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool & chop into chunks.
2. In a bowl sift together the Flour, Bi-Carb Soda & Salt
3. With an electric mixer beat together the butter, sugars & vanilla on medium high for 2 to 3 minutes
4. Add the eggs one at a time waiting for each one to be incorporated before adding the next. Mix on high for 7 to 8 minutes. This long mixing process is crucial and is one of the places where my recipe differs from the original. This dissolves the sugar & adds small pockets of air into the dough allowing the cookie to be soft on the inside while still being crunchy on the inside.
5. Add the Flour mixture to the mixing bowl & mix on low until combined. Scrape down the sides & bottom of the bowl.
6. Add the chocolate & nuts. Mix until just combined.
7. Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a 20cm log & wrap in clingfilm.
8. Refrigerate for 24 hours. I know it’s cruel to make you to put this in the fridge overnight but if you try to bake these cookies now they will flatten during baking & be far too crispy. Though I do personally admit I nearly always treat myself to a large spoonful (or two) of the cookie dough before it makes it into the fridge.
9. Preheat oven to 175C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
10. Slice logs into disks 2cm thick & place the discs approx. 8cm apart on the baking sheets.
11. Sprinkle cookies with a small amount of sea salt flakes. Don’t be too heavy handed here, less is more as they say. But the saltiness really does help bring out the sweetness of the chocolate.
12. Bake for exactly 16 minutes (yes I’ve tested this extensively, 16 minutes is the perfect length of time for my oven, you may need to make adjustments according to your oven) Be sure to rotate the baking sheets halfway through the cooking time.
13. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray & move to a wire rack once cool.
14. Baked cookies will last for approximately 4 days (though mine are always long gone by then) Unbaked dough can be kept in the fridge for a week of frozen for up to a month. And I in fact nearly always have a log of this dough in my freezer at any point. You can cook the dough from frozen as well just add a few minutes more to the cooking time.
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