Decadently Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. These three words, which when spoken in that particular order, will bring any kid-or adult even-running into the kitchen, dropping whatever task, important or not, and leaving all worries behind. The smell alone will bring any inquisitive nose wondering through the kitchen, hoping to snag a taste.

At least that’s how it works in my house. Of course there are no little kids running around this house, so I get to experiment with darker, more decadent chocolates. All I can say is, if you like the traditional semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie, then you will love these chocolate chip cookies which use three different dark-and I mean dark-chocolates. I also throw in a little milk chocolate for good measure.

I grew up with chocolate chip cookies being my favorite go to cookie. Whether it was from dough premade and sold in a tube, my own attempts at the home made version, or a quick run to Tiff’s Treats in Austin, I couldn’t get enough chocolate chip cookies, but I always looked for the super sweet variety. When I began my only-from-scratch cooking kick, chocolate chip cookies were the first recipe I tried to perfect. They’re great as a quick dessert, perfect for a little snack-or a grossly unhealthy, but devilishly delicious meal-and reason enough to have a cookie jar well stocked at all times.

First and foremost, you need good chocolate. There is the good chocolate that requires a second mortgage to finance and there is good chocolate that really isnt that expensive; I prefer the latter as I typically bake about six dozen of the fellas each week. A few years ago, on a trip to Switzerland, I fell in love with Swiss chocolate; that’s the first place I started to fall in love with dark chocolate. The  trip and the delicious dark chocolates definitely inspired me to go darker with my chocolate chip cookies.

This recipe uses four types: 90% cocoa, 85% cocoa, 70% cocoa and then a little milk chocolate. The combination comes together perfectly, giving the cookie delicious layers ranging from succulent dark chocolate to sweet, smooth milk chocolate. This time I used Lindt chocolates, though I also like Ghiradelli. I suppose I’d go for a more exotic chocolate if I was making a special occasion chocolate chip cookie.

You may notice-and ask why-I use a mixture of bread and cake flour. Bread flour contains more gluten than other flours, which is perfect for making a chewy cookie. I throw in a little cake flour to encourage the cookies to come out just a little cakey and soft. Together, I think you get the perfect dough.

This recipe will yield between four and five dozen depending on the size. I suppose it could yield as little as 3 dozen if you want huge cookies! As for all my baking, I suggest measuring based on weight, and not volume as it is much more exact-a necessity in baking. I have included volume measurements as well though, which are pretty darn close.

Decadently Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

9 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature (18 tablespoons)
6 ounces white sugar (3/4 cup plus one tablespoon)
6 ounces brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoon vanilla
10 ounces bread flour (2cups)
3 ounces cake flour (3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

3.5 ounces 70% cocoa (1 bar)
3.5 ounces 85% cocoa (1 bar)
3.5 ounces 90% cocoa (1 bar)
3.5 ounces milk chocolate (1 bar)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375.

2. Cream the butter and both types of sugar in a bowl.

3. Add the eggs and the vanilla.

4. Mix together the flours, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the egg and butter mixture. Mix until just combined.

 

5. Roughly chop the chocolate bars.  You can choose the size you’d like; I typically leave fairly large chunks in.

6. Mix in the chocolate until it is evenly spread throughout the dough.

 

7. Drop balls of dough on lined baking sheets. Depending on the size of cookie you’d like adjust the size. Teaspoon size balls will produce 2 inch cookies. Tablespoon size balls will roughly produce 3 inch cookies.

8. Bake in a preheated oven for nine minutes to get a soft chewy cookie or ten minutes to get a cookie with crunchy edges and a soft, chewy inside. I usually bake one sheet at a time to ensure even baking.

 

9. Let the cookies cool one to two minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

I hope you enjoy these decadently dark chocolate chip cookies. If you love dark chocolate, or chocolate chip cookies then these are well worth trying!