Every matchup that chocolate chip cookies face is a win. Even during the Christmas cookie season, they win 78 percent of the time when compared to sugar cookies, brownies, or any other variety. However, there are several camps in the world of chocolate chip cookies. Some people argue that add-ins like nuts and oatmeal don’t belong. Not to mention the all-important crispy-vs.-chewy debate. (Bloomberg Pursuits has previously waded into the contentious world of chocolate chip cookies, crowning a soft, chewy Christina Tosi cookie as a perfect treat.) A gorgeous new cookbook from one of the world’s best bakers now devotes an entire section to those possibilities.
Dorie Greenspan has already written 13 books, the majority of which are devoted to sweets; she has received multiple James Beard Awards and the French government’s Order of Agricultural Merit for her outstanding food writing.
Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty, and Simple ($35; Mariner Books) contains approximately 150 recipes. A chapter is dedicated to large and small cakes, and another to pies, tarts, and cobblers for all seasons.
Six of the recipes in the book are for chocolate chip cookies recipes, including a Mary Dodd maple bacon version and a “World Peace Cookies 2.0” in addition to the classic.
The caramel choc chip cookies aren’t technically in the special section, but Greenspan thinks they should be. Because they contain chocolate and walnut chunks, “they could rightly be called chocolate chip cookies, albeit ones that lived briefly in France,” she writes.
In fact, Greenspan considers these cookies to be in the chocolate chip cookie hall of fame. For starters, they fall into nearly every category: The mini pies have the crisp edges of a buttery, crumbly shortbread as well as a tender-in-the-center texture with molten chocolate pieces. “It’s a surprise, like so many of my favourite recipes,” Greenspan said over the phone. She points out that, contrary to the cookie’s name, there is no caramel in the recipe.
She accomplishes that cookie harmony by baking the dough in cake tins, which allows it to crisp against the hot pan’s sides. “Since the butter and sugar are nearly caramelized, you get more flavours, “she explains. “Ordinary ingredients heightened.” Her recipe includes nuts, but they are optional; chocolate lovers can add more chunks instead.
Cookies with Caramel Chocolate Chunks
yields 24 cookies.
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, and set aside
a 12 cup sugar
1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chunks or large chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted or untoasted, or additional chocolate chunks
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, both sugars, and the salt on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. All of the flour should be added at once. Pulse a few times to remove the possibility of flying flour, then beat on low speed until the flour is almost entirely integrated. Don’t overbeat the mixture; you want it to be clumpy rather than smooth. Fold in the chocolate and nuts with a flexible spatula.
If required, knead the dough to bring it together. Divide it in half and form each half into a 6-inch-long log; they’ll be just 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.. Butter a muffin pan, or two if you have them. One log should be marked at 12-inch intervals, then cut into rounds using a chef’s knife, cutting hard through the chips. Place one puck in each muffin cup. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the sides are browned and the centres are somewhat soft. Allow the cookies to rest for 3 minutes before gently prying each one out with the tip of a table knife and transferring to a cooling rack. Allow the pan to cool before repeating with the remaining log. Warm or at room temperature, serve the cookies.
