Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cookies by freshfromthe.com
From the pictures alone, you may not think these cookies look like much. Just a generic chocolate cookie with some chocolate chunks, what's to write home about here? Well, quite frankly, a lot! These cookies were an unexpected amazement when I was baking up some holiday cookie packages to send to my grandparents. I'm not always the hugest chocolate fan, particularly when it's chocolate on top of chocolate (I mean, give me a chocolate chip cookie any day, but I'd always choose that over a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, if you know what I mean). 
Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cookies by freshfromthe.com
So what makes these so good? They are so soft! They don't appear soft from the outside or when you're just giving them a gander in these pictures. In fact, you might think they look dry or something. But they are NOT. They stayed delightfully chewy and soft on the inside for over a week in an airtight container! That's some lasting power, especially when a lot of cookies will start to be dry and blegh after just a couple days.
Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cookies by freshfromthe.com
Now, in the original recipe they're going to tell you that you need a lot of fancy chocolate to make these cookies shine. I'm here to tell you that they're good even without going super fancy. Dutch processed cocoa powder? I used Trader Joe's. Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV baking chocolate? Try some Guittard bittersweet chocolate picked up at your local grocery. I also did not want to buy dark corn syrup just for this recipe, so I used light corn syrup instead and - still delicious! The point is, while those extra fancy ingredients may make them taste better, they're still awesome without them.

Write recipe photo description here

Soft and oh-so-chocolatey cookies that last for days.

Ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2.5 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for coating
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (7.5 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dark corn syrup
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (2.5 ounces)
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Instructions:
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in a small bowl.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with a rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give the dough a final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at the bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly (do not chill longer than 30 minutes).
  3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 1½ inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart.
  4. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking, until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not over-bake.
  5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature. Repeat with second batch of cookies.
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated
Recipe for Chewy Chocolate Cookies by freshfromthe.com

2 comments:

  1. These look great! I recently heard that if you bang your cookie sheet on the counter when you first remove it from the oven, it makes the middles of the cookies compress and the centers end up softer and chewier. Have you ever tried that? I love a crispy outside/chewy inside cookie and am going to give it a go next time I bake.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting, I've never heard that before. I'll have to give it a try sometime and compare between batches!

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