These are a wonderful sweet treat, with a couple of small shifts to the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. A sure way to put a smile on friends’ faces, be they nine or ninety. There are days that I try to be inconspicuous at Tout Sweet (a “secret shopper” of sorts), and it is a joy to watch people’s faces light up as they bite into this simple cookie. Chocolate chip cookies aren’t a part of the culture in Turkey, and my anne (mom), an amazing baker, never made them when I was growing up. But I imagine that Americans’ dessert nostalgia must involve a buttery, gooey, chocolaty cookie like this one.
Ingredients
- 210 g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 5 g (½ tsp) baking soda
- 3 g (½ tsp) kosher salt
- 345 g 12 oz 64% to 70% dark chocolate
- ½ vanilla bean or 6 g (1½ tsp) vanilla bean paste
- 145 g (2⁄3 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 115 g (½ cup) plus heaping 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 115 g (½ cup) packed light brown sugar
- 100 g 2 whole eggs
- 5 g (2 tsp) Maldon sea salt
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt over a large bowl or piece of parchment paper; set aside. Break the chocolate into 1/4- to 1/2-in (6- to 12-mm) pieces, divide into two equal piles, and set aside. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with a paring knife and then use the knife to scrape the seeds from the pod. Discard the pod or reserve for use in another recipe for added vanilla flavor.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, at high speed, combine the butter, the seeds scraped from the vanilla bean or the vanilla bean paste, and both sugars; beat until fully combined and the color begins to change to a lighter shade of yellow. (Do not overwhip.) As soon as the color starts to change, slow the speed of the mixer and add the eggs; beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add one pile of the chocolate and mix until just combined.
- Use a #24 scoop to scoop 2-in (5-cm) balls of the dough onto the parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with a small amount of the sea salt, and stand a piece of chocolate up in the top of each ball. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the pan 180 degrees, and bake for another 5 minutes, until the center is gooey and the edges are crispy. As soon as you take the baking sheet out of the oven, slam it against the counter to remove any air bubbles and encourage gooey, not doughy, cookies. Use a metal spatula to set the warm cookies on a cooling rack, and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
