Another week, another bunch of recipes to test for the Cookie Chronicles. First up this week is another extremely popular recipe, this time from another favourite of mine Tara O’Brady, from her beautiful book Seven Spoons. Her approach to the chocolate chip cookie is very much appreciated because of it's pure simplicity. When it comes to equipment nothing more than a whisk, wooden spoon and a mixing bowl is needed and the time to make the recipe is dangerously fast, you could whip up a batch of these cookies in less time then it would take to eat the whole batch! Because the butter is melted this cookie is incredibly quick and easy to bring together but tastes absolutely wonderful, no wonder this recipe has done so well. I have a recipe that I currently rely on to fulfil my cookie cravings but I have a funny feeling this might replace that, it's so simple to make and so satisfying.
The Breakdown
This is definitely the easiest recipe I have tested for this series so far and this comes using melted butter, it makes the process of making this recipe incredibly quick and simple, no electricity needed (well apart from the oven). The sugar ratio leans heavily towards the light brown sugar meaning this recipe has a real caramel note to it but it still feels balanced and it blends perfectly with the chocolate. It also uses a little more vanilla than some recipes, that always featured 1 tsp, which I think definitely gave the dough a little more flavour.
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, diced
3 1/4 cups (415g) all-purpose/plain flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (320g) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated/caster sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
12 ounces (340g) dark chocolate (I used Guittard 66% wafers)
Flaked sea salt, for sprinkling
Result
You can probably tell from everything above that I loved this recipes its incredibly simple to make and yields a delicious fairly classic take on the chocolate chip cookie, great texture, great flavour and just the simplest recipe going.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan set over low heat melt the butter. You don’t want to brown the butter at all so keep the heat as low as it will go.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl pour the melted butter and into that whisk the sugars. It will take a little elbow grease and at first it might look a little separated but give the mixture a whisk for a minute or so and it will smooth out. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until fully combined into the butter mixture. Mix in the vanilla then switch out the whisk for a wooden spoon or spatula. Add the dry ingredients and mix together just until everything is combined. Don’t worry if there is a few small spots of flour, as this will be mixed in when the chocolate is added. Speaking of which, add the chocolate. Mix until evenly distributed in the dough. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let the dough rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, or overnight.
Form the cookies into balls roughly 3 tablespoons big, leaving a couple inches between each cookie. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes until slightly golden and a little bit cracked.
Leave the cookies to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep if kept in a sealed container for up to a week.