Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.
Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2 | Large eggs |
| 283.5 grams | Unsalted butter |
| 197.6 grams | Plain White Flour |
| 42.5 grams | Corn Flour |
| 241 grams | Bread flour |
| 283.5 grams | Light brown sugar |
| 226.8 grams | Granulated sugar |
| 1.25 teaspoons | Bicarbonate of soda |
| 1.5 teaspoons | Baking powder |
| 1.5 teaspoons | Coarse salt |
| 2 teaspoons | Naturalvanilla extract |
| 566.8 grams | Bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao |
| Sea salt | to taset for topping |
- Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.
- Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them.
- Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 180°C.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Scoop 6 100-gram mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet.
- Make sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie.
- Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
- Bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes (or longer if baking from frozen dough, see below).
- Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.
- Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.
- Eat warm, with a big napkin.
This is my U.K. adaptation of a New York Times recipe, which is adapted from Jacques Torres.
The original recipe calls for cake flour. In the U.S., you can buy cake flour. Here, you can make your own, which is what this recipe does using bread flour and corn flour.
The original recipe calls for time in the refrigerator because the dough needs time to set. Instead of refrigerating, I usually end up making a bunch and freezing. To freeze, I divide the dough into logs--say 500-gram logs that each makes 5 cookies. I plastic wrap the logs then freeze them in freezer bags.
I take logs out as I need them, cut each cookie to size using an electric scale, top them with salt and put them straight into the oven. You may need to bake for more than 20 minutes depending on how thick the cookies are.