Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Okay maybe you can't see it in this picture, but essentially the entire middle layer of this cookie is rich, dark chocolate.  By using large bittersweet chocolate disks, your cookies end up looking deceptively un-chocolatey, when really they have more chocolate than your average cookie.  You end up using one and a quarter pounds of chocolate in these guys.  Pretty serious.  I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, but it came to her via the New York Times and lots of research done to make the best chocolate chip cookies.  I don't know about you, but I would have loved to be the roommate of someone conducting such an experiment.  These cookies really do live up to their billing and blow most chocolate chip cookies out of the water.  One of the key elements is letting the dough sit in the fridge for basically two days.  So this isn't the type of thing you can just do on a whim.  But when you plan your baking in advance like I do, these cookies are something that should make your schedule. 

It starts out normal enough - creaming butter and sugar.  But the amounts a unique - 2 1/2 sticks of butter with 1 cup and two tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 1/4 cups of brown sugar.  Cream the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes.

 

This is the delicious look you are going for.

 

Next, beat in two eggs (one at a time) and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

 

In a separate bowl, sift together 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons of cake flour, 1 2/3 cups bread flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients on low speed, until just combined. 

 

Here are the stars of the show, bittersweet chocolate disks.  They only sold them in quarter pound containers at Whole Foods, so I had to snag five.  The cashier must have thought I have a serious addiction.

 

Once all of the flour mixture is incorporated, mix in the chocolate disks with a spatula.  

 

 

This takes a bit of effort since you are trying not to beat up your precious chocolate. 

Now stick your dough in the fridge, covered, and forget you ever had aspirations of making the most amazing chocolate chip cookies.  Forget, until two days have passed at least.  Well actually 24-36 hours later you can bake the cookies.

 

This is my dough fresh out of the fridge.  It appears to be darker than when I put it in, but this could just be a lighting thing.

 

Scoop out six golf ball-sized balls of dough onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  You only want to put six because they spread a lot, as they are designed to.  Make sure any disks on top are parallel to the cookie sheet as opposed to sticking straight up.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.

 

These cookies are huge, as I'm trying to demonstrate with my skillfully photographed hand-grab picture.  

 

Some of these cookies show the chocolate hidden inside more than others, but I guarantee you won't be lacking any chocolate in these rich cookies.  I used 70% cacao chips, but I think next time I would use 60% to make it a little sweeter.  Otherwise these cookies are perfect - buttery and rich, sweet and crunchy.  Everything you want from a chocolate chip/chunk/disk cookie. 

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
From Smitten Kitchen

2 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60 percent cacao

Cream 2 1/2 sticks butter, 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, and 1 cup plus two tablespoons granulated sugar together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add two eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla until fully combined.  In a large bowl sift together 2 cups minus two tablespoons cake flour, 1 2/3 cups bread flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.  On low speed, slowly mix in dry ingredients until just combined.  Using a spatula, stir in 1 1/4 pounds chocolate disks and gently incorporate.  Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. 
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop 6 golf ball-sized scoops of dough onto parchment-paper lined cookie sheets and bake15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool cookies on baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack.