It might sound strange, but one of things I'm going to miss most about home is the farmer's market. My last weekend at home, I made these chocolate chip and orange peel cookies for Dave and Blake, purveyors of fine stone fruits and delicious Japanese mushrooms, respectively.
To be perfectly honest, I'm shocked that I haven't blogged this cookie recipe yet, because it has quickly become one of my favorites. No-frills-added, classic chocolate chip ranks #1 when it comes to cookies in my book, and this recipe by Jacques Torres from the New York Times is the cream of the crop. It's a little bit complicated, what with having two different types of flours and all, but it's totally worth it if you ask me.
Also, instead of using straight chocolate chips, I actually chopped up a couple bars of this orange peel + 55% cocoa chocolate by Chocolove. I love using chocolate bars instead of chips because when you chop up a bar, you get all these little tiny bits of chocolate coupled with oddly shaped chunks. When you mix all that into the dough and bake it, the little bits add a hint of chocolate-y goodness to the dough.
Finally, the one thing I will say about the chilling is: DO IT. About a year and a half ago, when I was living abroad, I read that one of the best kept secrets to deliciously chewy CCCs is to let the dough sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours before baking it. Apparently it allows the flours to soak up more of the moisture from the eggs, which results in a more tender cookie. I did an experiment where I whipped up a batch of cookies and chilled the dough for 12, 24, and 48 hours, and it is true -- the longer you let it hang out, the better the cookies become.
Incidentally, I made another batch of CCCs when I got back to LA, and I'm sad to report that they weren't quite as good as the ones I made at home. Maybe it's because I don't have a mixer at school, so I didn't blend the ingredients quite as well. Or maybe it was because I used plain chocolate. This past week, my local Whole Foods had the Chocolove bars on sale, so you can bet my next CCCs will not be plain chocolate. Can't wait to share those!
Without further adieu, here's the recipe, courtesy of the New York Times:
Adapted from Jacques Torres
Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (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 (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt.
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.
