here’s a quick cookie recipe from joanne chang, my favorite baker. she once said this was her favorite cookie recipe, and if you love chocolate and gooey centers and chewy, crispy exteriors, this could be your favorite cookie recipe too.
I baked these as part of a set of larger cookie care packages, which is why you’ll see a few more cookie recipes pop up in the next few posts. I’ve seen a few holiday cookie swaps on social media and decided this year to mail out a special few batches to dear friends near and far. (but not too far – sorry european camino friends – I still haven’t gotten over the insult and injury of trying to transport a blueberry coffee cake over to germany, only to find it completely smashed on arrival!)
two boxes will travel up north to boston, snowy home of one of my best friends, j, and my younger sister. one will travel out to the neon-lit desert city of las vegas, and one will make its way to pittsburgh, where a dear retired couple I met on the camino moved last year. the final two will go to my neighbor, k, who lives alone and is every-so-sweet and ever-so-lonely, and to my parents in philadelphia. some will remain here in d.c. to be shared with the friends, and a few more, I will save for myself in the freezer for a rainy day.
baking has been a solace and a salve for many, many years, but the best moments come when I get to share the results with others and see their faces light up with that first sweet bite.
makes 15 cookies
140g (5oz) bittersweet chocolate (~60% cacao), chopped + 113g (4oz) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2-in pieces
113g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
300g (1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
4 eggs
70g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp instant coffee powder
75g (3/4 cup) walnuts, toasted, chopped, and cooled
joanne chang. flour: spectacular recipes from boston’s flour bakery + cafe. san francisco: chronicle books, 2010.
2 using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat sugar and eggs on medium speed until light, thick and pale yellow, ~5 minutes. (I did this by hand and it took me ~12 minutes.) on low speed, slowly add chocolate mixture and mix for ~ 15 seconds; the mixture will not be well-mixed at this point.
3 in a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, expresso powder, and remaining 56g unsweetened chocolate, 113g bittersweet chocolate, and walnuts.
4 using a rubber spatula, fold flour mixture into sugar-chocolate mixture until flour is completely incorporated and dough is evenly mixed.
5 scrape dough into airtight container and let rest overnight in fridge (or at least for 3-4 hours) before baking.
6 preheat oven to 350ºF. drop dough in 1/4-cup balls onto parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 2-in apart.
7 bake until cookies are cracked on top and soft but not liquid when pressed in the middle, ~15 minutes. let cool on baking sheet for ~15 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
8 cookies can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, and unbaked dough can be stored in airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week.
fort juniper 