Chocolate chip cookie journey
There’s something nostalgic about baking. It’s often associated with childhood memories, traditions and comfort. One of my earliest memories in the kitchen is my sister and I using the little baking pans and cake mixes from the Easy-Bake Oven company to proudly bake “mini” cakes for our three younger siblings’ first birthdays. A picture of a clumsily frosted chocolate cake with mini marshmallows atop comes to mind. Unfortunately, we were never lucky enough to actually have the Easy-Bake Oven itself; instead with Mom’s help we baked in the big oven. Years later, in a nostalgic moment, I called up my mom and sneakily secured those original cake pans to use for my own children’s first birthdays.
Cookies were the next baked good Mom trusted us with in the kitchen. After relying on Toll House for many years, my go-to cookie became more of a monster cookie: Peanut Butter Jumbos full of semisweet chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal and M&Ms. (Shout out to Red Hills Market in Dundee, OR. They do a cookie like this that are slightly better than mine.) When the mood struck, I’d make mini versions of the cookies to remind me of the “chippers” from Paradise Bakery that I swear have coconut in them. Just maybe, during my second pregnancy, I could be found at the mall during lunch hour buying a bag of those cookies ... more than once a week.
Now, with a more mature chocolate palate, my favorite signature chocolate chip cookie uses 62% dark chocolate chunks and is topped with Flaky Maldon Salt (a game changer). I’m not sure where I found this recipe originally, but there are several on the Internet that are close. Cornstarch makes the center of the cookie soft and chewy. Refrigerating the dough for several hours or overnight makes all the difference. Also I always underbake my cookies. Take them out of the oven before completely baked, let them sit on the parchment–lined cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until firm. This recipe includes some great tips, including using an extra egg yolk and melted butter.
And then, last Christmas my daughter came home and, upon spotting a cookbook on my kitchen counter, exclaimed, “What, you have the Alison Roman cookbook?!” Without knowing how Instagram-hip I was (apparently), I had picked up the millennial-resonating cookbook Nothing Fancy at my local public library. Well ... that led to an entire discussion and then we had to make #TheCookies. The viral sensation: Alison Roman’s Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies. That shortbread texture and crunchy sugar did me in.
So, last month when my daughter came home to shelter in place with us, I was not surprised when she said, “We have to make Alison Roman’s Tiny Salty Chocolatey Cookies.“ We opted for no nuts, purists that we are. The recipe told us: “now is the time to invest in some high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder since that’s mostly what you’ll be tasting here (that, and browned butter)”. Luckily, I just happened to have Droste Cocoa Powder on hand. Oh my. Just as promised, these cookies totally taste like the crunchy (salty) edge of a brownie. We also happened to have several Jacobsen Salt varieties in the pantry including Vanilla Bean and Espresso, which were fun to try. For some reason, our cookies weren’t what I’d describe as “tiny”. They were thin, but not tiny. Hmmm. Dropping quarter-size cookies proved difficult and then some stuck to the parchment paper. Maybe they were too thin. But this is definitely one on the “to perfect” list.
My quest for new cookie discoveries continues. I recently made Jacque Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies ... incredible texture and oh so melty. If you can splurge for his chocolate 60% dark chocolate baking discs) – do it! I haven’t had luck finding good quality chocolate discs anywhere locally, so I’ve used these – but chunks don’t melt into the cookies like discs would. I think Guittard chocolate wafers would be a good, little less expensive, substitute. Beware. These cookies do take some planning to make. As an aside, I have a suspicion that the Jacque Torres recipe, or something close to it, could be what the Heirloom Cookshop near my home bases their delicious creations on. Or possibly their cookies are the pan banging variety. I’ve yet to try this but I’m intrigued! The Vanilla Bean Blog created the original version with perfect ripples around the edge of the cookie and a soft gooey center surrounded by a crisp outer edge. It’s all about the texture.
You really can’t lose with a chocolate chip cookie! I say find a cookie recipe you like and do that one cookie recipe really well (and keep some in the freezer at all times). Make sure you have a good quality cookie sheet, parchment paper, high quality chocolate, real vanilla, and real butter, and if desired, flaky salt. Then, embark on your own baking adventure.