It’s a bit of a rarity these days that I actually get to enjoy making other peoples recipes (something I am trying to do a bit more of at the moment, to bake in a way that is purely about enjoyment, without it becoming work) but for the recent Bake For Ukraine bake sale I wanted to take a new cookie for my menu but I didn’t have the time to really work on anything new so instead turned to my cookbooks to find something I thought might work. The idea I wanted to go for was an inside out chocolate chip cookie, a dark chocolate cookie dough with white chocolate chunks. In the back of my head, I thought the brilliant book Sister Pie had something similar and thankfully I was right.
The cookie from the book is known as a double (okay triple) chocolate chip cookie and I thought it could easily be adapted to fit my idea. In the book the cookie has a pretty quick turnaround, the dough is baked as soon as it is made, no resting, just instant gratification. The recipe looked good to me but I needed something I could prep in advance so I did a quick test. I wanted to be able to make the dough a couple days in advance and then bake it as close to the bake sale as possible. I could either scoop the dough once chilled, as I often do with my cookie recipes, or I could roll it once made and chill it in individual portions. The chilled dough sets very firm so scooping or rolling it wasn’t an option so instead I opted to make it slice and bake style. This is pretty unusual for this type of cookie, normally being a technique you would use with something more akin to a shortbread. This technique also led to an interesting development when it came to flavour. When the cookies were sliced, and because I was using large discs of white chocolate, there was lots more chocolate peeking through the two sides of the cookie than when I made it according to the recipe. This had an unexpected benefit, the chocolate on the base of the cookie caramelised as it baked, meaning the flavour was a little less sweet and with more of a caramelised flavour, a double winner if you ask me.
If you want a cookie that has a sweet and salty contrast with just a hint of an oreo flavour, this recipe is for you. The edges become nice and crisp and the centres become the ideal form of chewy, this is a winner of a recipe and one I will surely make time and time again.
Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from the book Sister Pie by Lisa Ludwinski
225g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
115g white chocolate, roughly chopped
225g plain flour
60g black cocoa powder*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
225g unsalted butter, room temperature
150g caster sugar
150g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
250g white chocolate*
*To achieve the intense black and white look the these cookies have you need to use black cocoa powder, a sub category of dutched cocoa powder. This type of cocoa powder is very easy to buy online (I use the brand DeZaan) but if you cant find it you can use traditional dutched cocoa powder, the look just wont quite be the same. The black cocoa is also what contributes to that hint of oreo flavour. For the white chocolate I like to large chocolate discs but if you only have access to bars chop them into irregular sized chunks and avoid using white chocolate chips.
To make the cookie dough place the two types of chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to allow to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. If using the black cocoa a good whisk should be fine as the black cocoa is lower in fat and doesn’t tend to clump. If using a regular dutch cocoa you may want to sieve this to ensure a lump free mixture. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars, beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding the second. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until the batter is uniform. Add the flour mixture and on low speed mix together just until a dough is formed. Add the second amount of white chocolate and mix until evenly distributed.
Scrape half the dough onto a large sheet of clingfilm and form into a rough log. Roll the dough in the clingfilm and use your hands to roll into a log that is about 2 inches thick. The dough is soft at this point so the shape wont be perfect. Transfer the log of dough to the fridge and repeat with the second half. Once the dough has had a little time to chill and firm up I like to take it out of the fridge and roll it to refine the shape and make it more evenly round. Chill until firm and ready to use, the dough will keep for about 3-4 days before baking.
To bake, remove the dough from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature whilst your oven preheats to to 180ºC (160ºC Fan). Line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
Using a very sharp knife cut the cookie dough into pucks about 1 inch thick (the cookies should weigh around 60g each, I like to weigh my first cookie puck to ensure I am cutting them the right size). You may find the cookies break into pieces when sliced but don’t worry just press them back together and the’ll be fine. Place 6 cookies onto each of the prepared trays, spacing well apart as they spread. Sprinkle the cookies with a little flaked sea salt and bake in the oven for about 15-16 minutes. They’ll still be soft when they come out of the oven and will set up as they cool.
After a few minutes transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
Kept in a sealed container these will keep for 2-3 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to two months before baking.
