Cookies - Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe comes from an excellent book The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, which features sweet treats from the very popular New York bakery, Amy's Bread. The baking soda used in this recipe aids in the browning of the cookies plus counteracts the acidity of the brown sugar. Chunks of semi sweet chocolate are used instead of chocolate chips to give these cookies a more intense chocolate flavor. You can use any combination of bitter, semi sweet or white chocolate or even those delicious toffee bits. These cookies are giant

sized, but if you want to make smaller cookies, keep in mind you will have to reduce the baking time.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place one oven rack in the top third of the oven, and one oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Form dough into balls, using 1/4 cup (55 grams) for each cookie. Place six balls of dough on each baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball of dough into a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm)  round. Bake the cookies for about 15-17 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set. They will still seem a little soft but they will firm up as they cool. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet

before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 18 large cookies.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies:

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

2/3 cup (140 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (210 grams) chocolate chunks (can use chocolate chips)