Chocolate Cookies with All the Chips
makes about 3 dozen cookies
THIS MULTI-CHOCOLATE-CHIP TREAT IS SO CHOCK-FULL of chips that the chocolaty dough becomes simply a vehicle (and a mighty good one, too). I think you’ll find that the combination of chips really makes this cookie stand out; but if you don’t have a variety of chips on hand, you can use just one kind or a variety of sizes from mini to giant. Be sure to try the variation. The addition of toasted almonds and red-wine raisins is sublime.
¾ cup premium semisweet chocolate chips
¾ cup premium white chocolate chips
¾ cup premium milk chocolate chips
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup premium unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased.
In a small bowl, mix the semisweet, white, and milk chocolate chips until blended. In another small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla until blended. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended, again scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat or fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Drop the dough, by tablespoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake until set and the tops have lost their sheen, about 12 minutes. (Since the dough is dark, the first batch will be the key to when the cookies are done.) Let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, reusing the parchment paper.
Variation
For an out-of-this-world, grown-up chocolate chipper, try Chocolate Chip Cookies That Have It All. Follow the main recipe, adding 1/3 cup chopped slivered toasted almonds and 1/3 cup Red-Wine Raisins to the dough after the chocolate chips are blended. Beat until evenly blended and proceed as directed.
Bittersweet Chocolate–Caramel Cracker Cookies: An Assortment
makes 35 square cookies
WITH THEIR FLAKY CRUST, SMOOTH CARAMEL FILLING, and bittersweet chocolate glaze, these scrumptious bar-style cookies are rich and habit-forming. They’re also just the ticket for sampling dark chocolate with a variety of new flavor partners. The additional step of garnishing the glaze with a series of toppings, sprinkled in parallel lines before the cookies are cut, makes it easy to create an array of assorted flavors.
The secret to the flaky crust? it’s not complicated pie dough or layers of transparent phyllo. No, this crust is made from supermarket saltine crackers. The crackers take on a taste and appearance that would impress the most discerning cookie or chocolate connoisseur. The secret is revealed only when the baker inverts the cookies to cut them.
This recipe requires a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan and a candy thermometer.
1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, divided
35 saltine crackers, plus 7 to mark off the rows
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
10 ounces premium dark chocolate, melted
About 1 teaspoon of one of the following toppings for each cracker row: fleur de sel or other sea salt colored or turbinado sugar finely ground espresso assorted pepper blends assorted spice blends or rubs
Preheat the oven to 425°f. To make removing the finished cookies easy, line a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side up, leaving a few inches hanging over the long edges. Drizzle ¼ cup of the melted butter onto the foil-lined pan and brush to cover the bottom. Arrange 35 crackers, side by side (5 by 7) and evenly spaced, so they completely cover the bottom of the pan (don’t worry if there are small gaps).
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining 1 cup melted butter and the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture forms a thick syrup (248°f on a candy thermometer), about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk until blended. Pour the mixture over the crackers, making sure all the crackers are covered.
Bake until the syrup layer bubbles, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top. Using an offset metal spatula, quickly spread the glaze with a few strokes. To fill in any gaps, using oven mitts, tilt the pan back and forth. Let the glaze set for 5 minutes.