Chocolate Cookies

by Erica

These cookies are probably the treat I bake most often. I make them every few months because they freeze beautifully (they keep for 3 months) and my husband takes one to work with him every week, usually. They defrost in 2-3 hours at room temperature. I get 12-14 cookies out of each batch.  They are also brilliant as an emergency dessert with ice cream if you have unexpected visitors.

They are based on Nigella Lawson’s “Chocolate chip cookies” in her Kitchen recipe collection. I’ve never once made the recipe as it stands in the book because I’ve always swapped the milk chocolate chips she uses for dark chocolate. Recently for one reason or another I’ve tweaked a couple of other things. The recipe that follows is the one I’ve used for the last couple of batches of these cookies; so the 2012 version.  The method is entirely Nigella’s, however.  Sadly her original version doesn’t appear to be online at her website.

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter
125g dark brown sugar (Nigella uses light brown sugar and I’ve done so in the past. I have also made these with all caster sugar.)
100g caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg (fridge cold)
1 egg yolk (fridge cold)
300g rice flour (Nigella uses ordinary plain flour here and so did I the first few times I made these)
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
326g of dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (the original calls for milk chocolate here)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170˚C. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Melt the butter and let it cool. Put sugars into a bowl and pour over the butter. Beat together.

3. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until pale and creamy.

4. Slowly mix in the flour and bicarbonate of soda until just blended. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Using an round ice-cream scoop drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, place the cookies about 8cm apart. You should aim to get 6-7 on the baking sheet. You need to bake this dough in batches and keep the dough in the fridge while the first lot is baking.

6. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheat oven until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

 

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Donna.

Forming a part of my cookie dough three ways ice cream recipe (see my post at Beating Limitations) these cookies are based on the always dependable Cook’s Illustrated. 

The trick with this recipe is to resist overbaking.  The cookies really are done after about 12 minutes, a maximum of 14 – even though they feel soft.  They will harder enough with cooling.  If you overbake you will burn the bottoms.

It is also vital to use high quality chocolate.  I purchased the Hotel Chocolat 70% small buttons.  They were perfect, especially as I love dark chocolate (frankly, I could leave all chocolate behind, but dark chocolate has convinced me there is something redeemable about it!)…  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup caster sugar
just short of 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium egg, 1 medium egg yolk (note: if you double this recipe, stick with the 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, just use large or extra large eggs)
about a half a cup dark chocolate buttons (I used Hotel Chocolat 70%)
about a half a cup chopped toasted pecans (I toast on the hob in an unoiled pan, until just browning)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180C (375F). 
2. Whisk together flour and baking soda.
3. Melt 5 tablespoons butter. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma.
4. Transfer browned butter to large bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons butter – stir until melted completely into browned butter.
5. Add caster sugar, dark brown sugar, salt, and vanilla to butter and whisk until fully incorporated.
6. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. I did this about 5 times.
7. Stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. I used a rubber spatula to fold flour into butter/sugar mix.
8. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

 

9. Put about 2 tablespoons of dough together into a ball, and place on cookie sheet.  Make sure to leave room between balls.
10. Bake until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking.
11.  Cool on baking sheet, then remove and cool on wire rack before devouring.

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Leah.

I adore coconut. Strangely I don’t eat real coconut as often as I’d like to but I do gravitate towards sweet treats that have coconut as a base flavour. I wanted to bake but wanted something that I could mix up in one bowl. I adore my kitchenaid but sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics and take out the large mixing bowl that reminds me of licking the spoon while baking at my granny’s knee.

This recipe is adapted from the wonderful Joy The Baker’s blog. 

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups plain  flour
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt (to suit your preference)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup dessicated or shredded coconut
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C. 

Line two baking sheets with baking paper.  On one baking sheet, spread out the coconut.  Toast coconut for about 6 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Keep a close eye, it toasts very quickly.

Remove from the oven, place in a small bowl and let cool. Try to resist eating it all straight from the bowl before using it in your cookies!

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat & allow to cool for a few moments.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl) measure granulated and brown sugar.  Add the melted butter and beat together, on medium speed, for about 2 minutes (it may take a little longer by hand)  The sugar may still look grainy.  That’s ok.

Add the egg and egg yolk and beat until the mixture becomes silky smooth.  Add vanilla extract and beat again.

With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients.  Beat until just incorporated.  Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold in the toasted coconut and chocolate chips.  The dough will be very thick.

Cookies can be baked immediately, or the dough can be left in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Spoon balls by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown but still slightly soft in the center. Remove from the oven.  Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container if there are any left after eating them all straight from the oven.

Leah’s Notes:

I think I could’ve used a little more coconut so next time I’m going to use half cup and try to get shredded to give it more punch.  I found that these definitely need to be taken out just as they start to brown, they can overbake very easily and that made them tend to harden up much quicker. That’s personal taste though; I much prefer a chewy cookie with only a slight crunch on the edge. Feel free to bake for longer if you prefer more bite to your cookies.

Be prepared to fight off the whole household once the smell of toasted coconut reaches every other room in the house.