Double Chocolate Chip Cookie (from Bouchon Bakery)

The first thing I ever learned to bake from scratch was chocolate chip cookies from the recipe on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chips when I was a freshmen in college. One of the nice upper classmen from church let me come over to her apartment and taught me how to bake cookies from scratch. I was truly amazed at how easy it is. Since then, I've baked cookies countless times, and even more now that I'm married to a cookie monster. Recently I read an article on the Houston press about the top 10 best chocolate chip cookies in H-town; needless to say, I went to try almost all of them (still a few left to go...), and that inspired me to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I can't say that I've found the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe yet, but so far, this recipe from Bouchon Bakery Recipe book is a personal favorite. Slightly crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, the cookie bursts with chocolate flavor and melted chocolate chunks and chocolate chips with every bite. It is an EXTREMELY satisfying chocolate chip cookie for all chocolate lovers. The recipe is very easy to make, with the exception that EVERYTHING (yes, even eggs) need to be measured by weight, but totally worth it. In this recipe I made twelve 3" cookies, but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on your need (original recipe makes six 4" cookies). Just make sure to adjust the cooking time.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
INGREDIENTS

• 190g (1 1/4 cups + 1 1/2 tablespoon) All-purpose flour
• 48g (1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons) unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder (original recipe recommends Guittard Cocoa Rouge, which is what I used)
• 2.3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
• 3g (1 teaspoon) Kosher salt
• 134g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons, lightly packed) Dark brown sugar
• 12g (1 3/4 teaspoon) Unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 104g (1/2 cup + 1 teaspoon) granulated sugar
• 113g (2/3 cup) 70% to 72% chocolate chunks (I used 1 bar of Ghirardelli 70% baking bar)
• 100g (scant 1/2 cup) dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips)
• 167g (5.9 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 60g (3 tablespoons + 2 1/2 teaspoon) eggs

Notes: Original recipe uses 107g of chocolate chunk and 107g of chocolate chips and uses Valrhona Guanaja 70% or Guittard 72% chocolate

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Allow butter and eggs to come to room temperature (leave them out on the counter for about 1 hour). Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Dry ingredients: Sift AP flour and cocoa powder into medium bowl, sift in baking soda, add salt and whisk together
3. Sugar molasses mix: In a separate bowl, place dark brown sugar and stir in the molasses and granulated sugar, breaking up lumps. This mixture won't be completely smooth
4. Chocolate mix: Break chocolate chunks with hands and mix with chocolate chips.
5. Cookie dough: Place butter in stand mixer bowl with paddle attachment and mix on low-medium speed to cream the butter until the consistency resembles that of mayonnaise and holds a peak when the paddle is lifted.
6. Add molasses mixture an d mix for 3-4 minutes, until fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.
7. Add eggs and mix on low speed for 15-30 seconds, until just combined. Scrape b owl again.
8. Add dry ingredients in increments of two, mixing on low speed for 15-30s after each addition until just incorporated. Scrape the bottom of the bowl after each addition.   
9. Add chocolates and mix on low until just combined.
10. Form the chocolate chip dough into a ball, wrap with cling wrap and send it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
11. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide into 12 portions, about 75g each, and roll each portion into a ball. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet (no more than 6 balls on a sheet) spaced about 2" apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes in a standard oven (12-14 minutes in a convection oven), turn the baking sheet around halfway through baking time so that the front of the pan is now at the back.
12. Cool the pans on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

Notes: You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 1 month in a covered container or plastic bag. The day before you want to bake the cookies, defrost overnight in the fridge. Allow dough to come to room temperature before baking.

To make six 4" cookies, divide the dough into 150g portions and bake for 18-20 minutes in a standard oven (14-16 minutes in a convection oven).

PICTORIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix together molasses, granulated and dark brown sugar, getting rid of lumps as much as possible The mixture will appear dry.

Add butter to stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and mix on low-medium speed until the butter resembles the consistency of mayonnaise and holds a stiff peak when the paddle is lifted (RIGHT)

Add molasses sugar mixture and mix for 3-4 minutes until fully incorporated. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl.

Crack eggs in a strainer and beat while collecting and measuring the strained egg. The amount in the photo (120g) is for double the recipe. Add the egg to the stand mixer and mix on low for 15-30s until just incorporated.

Add dry ingredients in 2 increments, mixing for 15-30s on low after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl before adding another increment of dry ingredients. Don't over mix as this will cause gluten formation which will make the cookie tough.

Mix the chocolate chip and chocolate chunks together, add it to the cookie dough and mix until just incorporated. Form the dough into a ball, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Divide large dough ball into 12 equal portions (75g each) and roll each portion into balls. Place the balls onto two baking sheets (no more than 6 on one sheet). Bake for a total of 16-18 minutes at 325F in a standard oven (14-16 minutes in a convection oven), making sure to rotate the pan halfway. Middle picture shows the cookies after 8 minutes of baking, notice how the cookies have spread while the middle remains rounded. Right picture shows the cookies after 16 minutes of baking,when finished.

Allow sheet pans to cool on cooling rack for 5-10 minutes, then move cookies to rack to cool completely. Cookies are best eaten fresh (they really are!) but keeps well in a ziplock bag with all the air pushed out for 3 days.

Enjoy with a glass of milk or a latte!

Recipe taken from:
Keller, Thomas, Sebastien Rouxel, and Matt McDonald. Bouchon Bakery. New York: Artisan, 2012. 34-35. Print.