I'm finally back with another recipe! And it's another baked good that has chocolate in it! Can you tell that I really like chocolate?
Just look at that melted chocolate ooze! Mmm.
I've been meaning to write a post about these cookies ever since the idea came into my mind to make them (which was last month...), but I was away in June and so I could neither bake nor write in my blog. Happily, here I am at last! I am excited to share this recipe mainly because I love chocolate and these cookies pack a big chocolate PUNCH.
The first time I made these was last month. I wasn't fully satisfied with the texture, although the taste was awesome. The problem was that the cookie was too soft rather than chewy. I knew that it had something to do with a lack of gluten in the cookie dough, which meant that I had to increase the amount of flour in the recipe. However, doing so might compromise the chocolate flavour. So, when I made these cookies for the second time, apart from tweaking the amounts of flour and cocoa powder, I found more ways to incorporate as much chocolate into the cookie dough as possible, to produce cookies that are chewy and fudgy, and have an intense chocolate flavour. I am thrilled to report that I finally got it just perfect! It is the kind of double chocolate cookie that I've been searching for — the super chocolatey, fudgy and rich kind.
So what did I add to the cookie dough? On top of the usual step of adding cocoa powder into the dough, I also stirred in melted chocolate, folded in dark chocolate and caramelised white chocolate chunks, and sprinkled cocoa nibs on top of the shaped cookie dough before baking them off in the oven. The addition of melted dark chocolate into the batter really makes the final product very chocolatey and fudgy. I doubt you'd be able to eat more than two cookies without drinking some milk (I certainly couldn't!).
Having been searching for the perfect double chocolate cookies, I'm really happy with these. I think it's safe to say that the search is over (or at least until I manage to come up something even better).
Caramelised White Chocolate Double Chocolate Cookies with Cocoa Nibs and Sea Salt
Adapted from "BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts" cookbook and The Food Charlatan
Yields approximately 32 cookies
Ingredients
350 g roughly chopped chocolate (I used a mixture of Valrhona 32% Dulcey and Valrhona 70% Guanaja)
80 g dark chocolate, melted (use at least 60% dark chocolate)
270 g (2 cups + 1 Tbs) all-purpose flour
120 g (1 cup + 1 Tbs) cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but cool
226 g (1 cup + 2 Tbs) light brown sugar
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
2 large eggs
Method
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Melt 80 g of dark chocolate over a bain marie or in the microwave in 30 second bursts. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
In a separate bowl, whip the butter, sugars, vanilla, salt and nutmeg together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Crack in the eggs one at a time and continue beating until smooth. Then, pour in the cooled melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
Fold in the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed. Then, fold in the chocolate chunks.
Divide into approximately 32 cookies using an ice-cream scoop.
Line up the cookie dough balls on a tray lined with parchment paper and cover with cling wrap. Let the cookie dough balls chill in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight. This is an important step as the cookie dough needs to be cold to prevent them from spreading too much in the oven. Alternatively, at this stage, you could also place the cookie dough balls in the freezer and freeze until solid. Then, store them in labelled freezer bags or a freezer-safe container for up to two months (this way, you can bake cookies anytime you have a craving!). Bake the cookies straight from the freezer, adding one to two minutes to the total baking time.
To bake the cookies: Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking, leaving 2 inches in between them. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs and a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool on baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. Do not attempt to move the cookies straightaway as they would be too soft and hot.
Enjoy warm or cooled, preferably with a glass of milk to wash down all that chocolate. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for one week.