CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Bake the most preferred Chocolate Chunk Cookies that are a definite hit not only with children but also with adults. These are soft from inside and crisp on the outside,with an overdose of luscious chocolate.

My all time favorite Chocolate Chunk Cookies, which I love eating with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee. Many a times, I have tried experimenting with the ingredients of these cookies and have come up with different versions, with each of them turning out equally delicious. The one that is closest to my heart is the one I will share with you.

I was reading Master the Art of French Pastry which is a patisserie book written by Malanie Dupuis and found this recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies which I tried and simply loved. The cookies turned out to be the way I imagined, loaded with chocolate which made the center soft and the outside crispy.

So what’s so special about these cookies and why are these sure winners everytime? These are some of the factors that make the best Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

WHAT MAKES THE COOKIES DRY OR MOIST?

The texture of the butter in the mixture is the most important factor in the final texture of the cookies. If melted butter is added, the dough tends to spread in the oven and hence the result will be drier. The butter needs to be soft but not melted for getting the right amount of moistness.

WHY IS IT NECESSARRY FOR THE COOKIE DOUGH TO REST?

Some people might say that chilling the cookie dough solidifies the fats and hence while baking the cookies the dough will not spread. Keeping the dough at room temperature allows the fats to melt faster and hence the cookie dough spreads. However, in this recipe of mine the dough is to be refrigerated as it retains the shape and makes it crispy from outside and soft from inside.

HOW TO REFRIGERATE THE DOUGH

Mould the dough into a sausage and wrap it in a plastic wrap tightly so that the dough is in not contact with air. Keep the wrapped dough in the refrigerator for half an hour to one hour for the best results. Cut the dough into desired thickness and bake leaving enough space between the cookies for the dough to spread.

Let’ s prepare the recipe together: Luscious Chocolate Chunk Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1. 60 g butter (salted)

2. 30 g castor sugar

3. 40 g dark brown powder sugar

4. 50 g egg (1 egg)

5. 100 g all-purpose flour

6. 3 g baking powder

7. 50 g dark chocolate chunks

8. 40 g walnuts (roughly chopped) optional

PROCEDURE

1. Chop chocolate into medium size chunks. On the other side chop walnuts, if using.

2. Sieve all-purpose flour and baking powder together to avoid lumps.

3. Beat the softened butter, dark brown powdered sugar and castor sugar together till the sugars are combined and smooth and creamy.

4. Pour in one egg and beat till all are combined.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients. (DO NOT BEAT AT THIS STAGE)

6. Add in chopped chunks of chocolate and chopped walnuts. (FOLD IN SLIGHTLY)

7. Roll the dough in to a sausage in a plastic wrap and then refrigerate for half to one hour for the best results.

8. Preheat the oven to 175  ̊ C before baking.

9. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and slice it into desired thickness.

10. Spread baking paper on the baking tray and keep the slices on it. DO NOT crowd the tray as the cookies will spread. Add extra chocolate chunks on top of the dough for that mouthwatering feel.

11. Bake till the sides turn slighly brown and the chocolate chunks on top melt.

12. Remove the cookies and let them cool to room temperature as the steam inside the cookies is still baking them.

WHY DO WE COOL THE COOKIES BEFORE COMSUMING?

When we remove the cookies from the oven, the starch and proteins are still cooking inside. Meanwhile the cookies are still cooling down. It’s not only the shape of the cookie that influences the cooling rate. The thinner the cookies the faster they cool. Different methods of cooling the cookies are:

RACK – If the cookies are placed on a rack for cooling, the air travels all around releasing the heat from within the cookies. This is by far the fastest way of cooling.

TRAY – Cooling the cookies on a metal tray, in the same tray as the cookies were baked may cool the cookies but the moisture won’t evaporate.

WOOD – A wooden tray is not the best idea of cooling the cookies as the moisture will make the bootom of the cookies soggy.

GLASS – Glass will not transfer heat quickly and hence the cooling process will be slow.

HAPPY BAKING!