Bouchon Bakery is well known for its cookies. We love our cookies, and we make them big. The chocolate chunk and chip recipe was one of our first. In most cooking or baking, varying textures is important, and cookies are no different.
This is why we use both chocolate chunks and chocolate chips, which behave differently in the dough. The chunks melt, but the chips don't. I've always believed that when you have a special, expensive ingredient--truffles, for instance, or a foie gras--it's important to offer that ingredient in abundance so people know what the fuss is about.
Chocolate falls into that category here--these cookies are packed with chocolate. We use plenty of brown sugar as well as molasses for a deep, rich flavor. If you like nuts in your cookies, feel free to add them instead of either the chocolate chunks or the chocolate chips. Thomas Keller.
CHOCOLATE CHIP AND CHUNK COOKIES
Makes 6 cookies, 4 inches each
1-1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (238 grams) all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.3 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (134 grams) lightly packed
dark brown sugar
1-3/4 teaspoons (12 grams) unsulphured blackstrap
molasses (I just used 2 tsp.)
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon (104 grams) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (107 grams) 3/8-inch chunks 70 percent to 72 percent
chocolate
Scant 1/2 cup (107 grams) chocolate chips
5.9 ounces (167 grams) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
3 tablespoons plus 2-1/2 teaspoons (60 grams) eggs
You'll need a 2-1/2-inch (#10) ice cream scoop. For this
recipe we use Valrhona Guanaja 70 percent or Guittard 72
percent chocoIate. Cookies baked in a convection oven will have a more even color and will not spread as much as those
baked in a standard oven.
1. Place the flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the baking soda.
Add the salt, and whisk together. Place the dark brown
sugar in a small bowl, and stir in the molasses and
granulated sugar, breaking up any lumps; the mixture will
not be completely smooth.
2. Place the chocolate chunks in a strainer, and tap the side
to remove any powdered chocolate, which would cloud the
cookies. Mix with the chocolate chips.
3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the paddle attachment. Turn to medium-low speed, and
cream the butter, warming the bowl if needed, until it is the
consistency of mayonnaise and holds a peak when the paddle
is lifted. Add the molasses mixture, and mix for 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, and mix on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just
combined. Scrape the bowl again. The mixture may look broken, but that is fine (overwhipping the eggs could cause the cookies to expand too much during baking and then deflate).
4. Add the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing on
low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, or until just
combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate
any dry ingredients that have settled there. Add the
chocolates, and pulse on low speed about 10 times to
combine. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
5. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven,
and preheat the oven to 325°F (convection or standard). Line
two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.
6. Using the ice cream scoop, divide the dough into 6
equal portions (150 grams each). Roll each one into a
ball between the palms of your hands. (The dough can be
shaped in advance; see Note*.)
7. The cookies are very large; bake only 3 on each pan.
With a short end of the pan toward you, place one cookie
in the upper left corner, one in the lower left corner, and
the third one in the center, toward the right side of the
pan. Bring the dough to room temperature before baking.
8. Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes in a
convection oven, 18 to 20 minutes in a standard oven,
reversing the positions of the pans halfway through
baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack, and cool for 5 to
10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool
completely.
The cookies are best the day they are baked, but they can
be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.
*Note on Advance Preparation: The shaped dough can be
refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. For longer
storage, freeze the dough in a covered container or a
plastic bag for up to 1 month; the day before baking, place
the cookies on a lined baking sheet, and defrost in the
refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before
baking.
For Smaller Cookies: Divide the dough into 12 equal
portions (75 grams each). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in a
convection oven, 16 to 18 minutes in a standard oven.
Notes from Wigs: Good flavor even without any vanilla in these! 1) Luckily, I had a 6th grade Home Ec. teacher who taught us that 1 large egg, after being lightly beaten with a fork, is about equal to 3 Tbsp. So I used 1 whole egg + 1 Tbsp. -or- roughly 1-1/3 eggs. 2) DH does not like flat cookies so I added 1/2 tsp. baking powder to the 1/2 tsp. baking soda called for, but my cookies still came out flat. Next time I think I'll try 1 tsp. baking powder and no baking soda to see what that does. 3) I am also thinking of subbing Crisco for half of the butter in this recipe as that usually helps keep cookies from spreading. 4) I added 1/2 cup chopped pecans and did NOT decrease the amount of chocolate, and I thought that was fine. I like nuts in my chocolate chip cookies! I used a #40 scoop and got 20 cookies out of this recipe. I baked them with five on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for about 14 to 15 minutes in a standard oven and then let them sit on the cookie sheet after coming out of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes before removing from the sheets to finish cooling on a rack. And as Thomas Keller suggests, maybe the convection oven would have kept my cookies from going as flat as they did.
This is why we use both chocolate chunks and chocolate chips, which behave differently in the dough. The chunks melt, but the chips don't. I've always believed that when you have a special, expensive ingredient--truffles, for instance, or a foie gras--it's important to offer that ingredient in abundance so people know what the fuss is about.
Chocolate falls into that category here--these cookies are packed with chocolate. We use plenty of brown sugar as well as molasses for a deep, rich flavor. If you like nuts in your cookies, feel free to add them instead of either the chocolate chunks or the chocolate chips. Thomas Keller.
CHOCOLATE CHIP AND CHUNK COOKIES
Makes 6 cookies, 4 inches each
1-1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons (238 grams) all-purpose
flour
1/2 teaspoon (2.3 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (134 grams) lightly packed
dark brown sugar
1-3/4 teaspoons (12 grams) unsulphured blackstrap
molasses (I just used 2 tsp.)
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon (104 grams) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (107 grams) 3/8-inch chunks 70 percent to 72 percent
chocolate
Scant 1/2 cup (107 grams) chocolate chips
5.9 ounces (167 grams) unsalted butter, at room
temperature
3 tablespoons plus 2-1/2 teaspoons (60 grams) eggs
You'll need a 2-1/2-inch (#10) ice cream scoop. For this
recipe we use Valrhona Guanaja 70 percent or Guittard 72
percent chocoIate. Cookies baked in a convection oven will have a more even color and will not spread as much as those
baked in a standard oven.
1. Place the flour in a medium bowl. Sift in the baking soda.
Add the salt, and whisk together. Place the dark brown
sugar in a small bowl, and stir in the molasses and
granulated sugar, breaking up any lumps; the mixture will
not be completely smooth.
2. Place the chocolate chunks in a strainer, and tap the side
to remove any powdered chocolate, which would cloud the
cookies. Mix with the chocolate chips.
3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with
the paddle attachment. Turn to medium-low speed, and
cream the butter, warming the bowl if needed, until it is the
consistency of mayonnaise and holds a peak when the paddle
is lifted. Add the molasses mixture, and mix for 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs, and mix on low speed for 15 to 30 seconds, until just
combined. Scrape the bowl again. The mixture may look broken, but that is fine (overwhipping the eggs could cause the cookies to expand too much during baking and then deflate).
4. Add the dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing on
low speed for 15 to 30 seconds after each, or until just
combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate
any dry ingredients that have settled there. Add the
chocolates, and pulse on low speed about 10 times to
combine. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
5. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven,
and preheat the oven to 325°F (convection or standard). Line
two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.
6. Using the ice cream scoop, divide the dough into 6
equal portions (150 grams each). Roll each one into a
ball between the palms of your hands. (The dough can be
shaped in advance; see Note*.)
7. The cookies are very large; bake only 3 on each pan.
With a short end of the pan toward you, place one cookie
in the upper left corner, one in the lower left corner, and
the third one in the center, toward the right side of the
pan. Bring the dough to room temperature before baking.
8. Bake until golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes in a
convection oven, 18 to 20 minutes in a standard oven,
reversing the positions of the pans halfway through
baking. Set the pans on a cooling rack, and cool for 5 to
10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool
completely.
The cookies are best the day they are baked, but they can
be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.
*Note on Advance Preparation: The shaped dough can be
refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking. For longer
storage, freeze the dough in a covered container or a
plastic bag for up to 1 month; the day before baking, place
the cookies on a lined baking sheet, and defrost in the
refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature before
baking.
For Smaller Cookies: Divide the dough into 12 equal
portions (75 grams each). Bake for 12 to 14 minutes in a
convection oven, 16 to 18 minutes in a standard oven.
Notes from Wigs: Good flavor even without any vanilla in these! 1) Luckily, I had a 6th grade Home Ec. teacher who taught us that 1 large egg, after being lightly beaten with a fork, is about equal to 3 Tbsp. So I used 1 whole egg + 1 Tbsp. -or- roughly 1-1/3 eggs. 2) DH does not like flat cookies so I added 1/2 tsp. baking powder to the 1/2 tsp. baking soda called for, but my cookies still came out flat. Next time I think I'll try 1 tsp. baking powder and no baking soda to see what that does. 3) I am also thinking of subbing Crisco for half of the butter in this recipe as that usually helps keep cookies from spreading. 4) I added 1/2 cup chopped pecans and did NOT decrease the amount of chocolate, and I thought that was fine. I like nuts in my chocolate chip cookies! I used a #40 scoop and got 20 cookies out of this recipe. I baked them with five on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for about 14 to 15 minutes in a standard oven and then let them sit on the cookie sheet after coming out of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes before removing from the sheets to finish cooling on a rack. And as Thomas Keller suggests, maybe the convection oven would have kept my cookies from going as flat as they did.