Strange, but true. Think it’s because they’re always way too sweet. And often, underdone. And then the chocolate is usually milk or semi-sweet (I’m a deep, dark chocolate gal) and infrequent at that. When I was baking for money, guys always asked for them, often adding, “just like my mom used to make.” Aside from not being dumb enough to risk wrecking some dude’s Proustian moment, I just never felt inspired to make them.
Until I read an article in last Wednesday’s New York Times by David Leite about a quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Holy patron saint of baking, he had gone to Shirley Corriher, Dorie Greenspan, Jacques Torres, and a host of New York bakeries for answers. The Christmas tree lights in my brain’s cookie room lit up. I had to try this recipe.
Made the dough the next day…with 2 variations, as usual based on what I had on hand. One: I had no bread flour and very little cake flour, so I used all-purpose. Two: I used an 11.5 oz. bag of Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Baking Chips and about 8 ounces of finely chopped unsweetened chocolate. That’s right: unsweetened. I used Belcolade Noir Absolu Ebony discs (96% cacao) from Belgium, which I buy wholesale but I think is for sale at the Chocolate Source. I suggest using the highest quality you can find and afford. And when you think you’ve chopped it finely enough, chop it some more.
After chilling the dough for the suggested 24 hours, I baked them off last Friday morning. Absolutely delicious. Not too sweet. Super chocolate taste throughout. Deep caramel taste, which was offset perfectly by a sprinkling of sea salt. I simply could not stop eating them; thank goodness we were having a party that night. To get them out of my house, I offered the entire batch as a prize to the first guest who could release the salad fork that had been stuck for days in our dish rack. It took the winner exactly 30 seconds to claim his cookie trophy.
Another week, another batch. What would the cookie taste like with nuts? This time, I added very finely chopped toasted pecans to my adulterated version of the NYT’s recipe. And I waited 36 hours to bake off the dough. Definitely worth the wait….
The dough was drier, so the cookies didn’t spread as much, which played right into my preference for smaller cookies. The pecans added a deep, toasty accent. The sea salt was fairly singing. Hey, I like chocolate chip cookies! Now to pawn them off on the neighbors before the husband and I eat them all.
By the way, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs is Honorius of Amiens.