Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Amazing Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies that are GIANT (big-as-your-head!) and crinkled, with soft, chewy centers and crispy edges. My family goes crazy for these!
I Have a Special Love for Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies, warm off the cooling rack, will always be my favorite chocolate chip cookies. Having grown up on those cookies, there’s definitely a nostalgic factor built in.
But I’m betting that if you asked any of my close childhood friends, including all my cousins, those chocolate chip cookies would rank way up high on their lists, too. Mom’s cookies were a regular request. And if we ever ran out, Mom was quick to reload her stash.
It’s good to be loved for your cookies, don’t you think?
Right now I have a special love for these Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies, a recipe from Sarah Kieffer’s The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. These giant cookies are worthy of dreaming about. Because believe me, I have.
Giant crinkled chocolate chip cookies recipe
I first enjoyed one of these big-as-your-head chocolate chip cookies this past summer. I was completely blown away, as I’d never seen or tasted a cookie like this before.
And Sarah made them herself. How awesome is that?
At that time, Sarah’s book The Vanilla Bean Baking Book was to be released shortly. I was chomping at the bit to get ahold of it. For this recipe ALONE.
It was obvious to me that these giant cookies contained a large quantity of butter and some really great chocolate. But I was beside myself as to how I could accomplish the amazing crinkled textures of this chocolate chip cookie on my own.
That ultra flat cookie, with a soft and chewy center, surrounded by crinkly, wrinkly prettiness that is the perfect texture of crispy.
Sarah is a local Minnesota food blogger friend who is known for her baking. And she is as lovely in person as she is on these pages.
The Vanilla Bean Baking Book is a collection of delightful recipes accompanied by Sarah’s signature simple-yet-elegant photography and thoughtful writing. I have spent many of this winter’s evenings reading through her cookbook, flagging all the beautiful things.
So many beautiful things!
At the very top of my list is this recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
The cookies are extraordinarily beautiful, with enticing folds of pooled dough baked to crispy absolute perfection.
Special steps for making chocolate chip cookies from the vanilla bean baking book
Some of the magic in this recipe is due to the enormous size of each cookie. I’ve never made a singular cookie with this much dough!
The rest of the magic comes from the generous amount of butter in the cookie dough, plus Sarah’s baking method, a bit unique.
A couple key items in the recipe’s directions include lining baking pans with foil dull-side-up and freezing the dough balls before baking (not so unconventional, but absolutely key in getting cookies that bake just the right way).
And the really fun – and somewhat bizarre – step is slamming the baking pans of dough balls in the oven every two minutes while baking. I’m not even kidding. Just trust me – it works.
It’s why people call these Pan-Banging Chocolate Chip Cookies!
After you freeze gigantic dough balls and slam a few pans, you too can enjoy chocolate chip cookies just like this.
Just be sure to share.
Because remember, it’s always good to be loved for your cookies.
Like this cookie recipe? Save it to Pinterest!
Here are a few more cookie recipes you might like:
- Apple Peanut Butter Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies with Sea Salt
- Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Turtle Cookies from Bake at 350
- Butter Swirl Shortbread Cookies from Fifteen Spatulas
- Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookies from Baked by an Introvert
Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book
Ingredients
- 2 c. 284 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ lb. 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups 297 g sugar
- ¼ c. 50 g packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 T. water
- 6 oz. 170 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging 1/2″ with some smaller and some larger
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line three baking pans (I find that commercial-grade 12″ x 17″ rimmed pans give me the best results with this recipe) with aluminum foil, dull side up. This helps create the crinkles in the cookies and lends an extra-crisp, golden brown bottom.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater blade, beat the butter on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and water and mix on low to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low into the batter.
- Form the dough into balls weighing 3-1/2 ounces (100 g) each. This is approximately a heaping 1/3 cup each. I wanted my cookies to match Sarah’s as much as possible and measured each dough ball with a kitchen scale. If you make the dough balls smaller, you won’t get as many ridges on the outer layer, and your centers won’t be as gooey. Place four balls an equal distance apart on prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Do not skip freezing the dough, as it’s essential in keeping the dough from spreading too much, and aids in the creation of the crinkly outer layer. After putting the first baking pan in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.
- Place the chilled baking pan in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4″ from the oven rack and let it drop down against the rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down. To quote Sarah, “this will feel wrong, but trust me”. After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
- Transfer the baking pans to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
I received a copy of The Vanilla Bean Baking Book for my use and review. All opinions are 100% my own. We LOVE these cookies!
I am an experienced baker and made these cookies exactly as directed.Oven runs true to tempature. I had put all trays in the freezer at essentially the same time. The first tray spread too much on initial baking.the second tray a little less…am assuming it is because those cookies were in the freezer longer….no wrinkles just really flat cookies. The final tray which was in the freezer the longest turned out as expected. Disappointed in the first two trays. Of course they taste ok just not much to look at.
Hi Brenda,
I am a big addict of chocolate chip cookies especially the homemade, this recipe looks unique and perfect..exciting to try it soon…
Thanks for sharing!
Sounds really good. Would love to win a copy.
Hi there! I followed the recipe exactly and read all the comments first as well. My cookies spread out too quickly, by the time I gave them their first bang, they were already almost all the way spread out. Im thinking my oven runs hot? That’s the only thing I can think of. Turning the oven down for the next batch! Luckily I doubled it so I have room for error!
I have received comments from friends and others, as many have been making these cookies. And a few have had issues. With one friend, we did conclude that her oven was too hot. If you are following everything else exactly, that could very well be your issue. I know that this recipe works. I’ve made these cookies several times, every time has worked for me. Good luck!!!
now that they are baked, I am really disappointed in them. :( they came out tough. The first ones I flattened slightly before putting the freezer (luckily!) and although I continued several times to “drop” them into the flat shape in the oven, they did not spread properly. The second batch I flattened significantly more and they did flatten out but did not get the ridges and again the texture is tough. I’m not new to baking (owned my own bakery/cafe and still have a catering business), and these just did not work out as pictures or explained. I needed them for a special dinner dessert tonight and now I’m wishing I had stuck to my old faithful recipe that does flatten nicely with a crispy/chewy texture. Not sure why I strayed away from a good thing.
Hello again Lorrie – Please follow the instructions as written. The recipe does not say to flatten the cookie dough before freezing. Leave the dough in a perfect round.
I just made these but I’m not sure the recipe corresponds with your directions. the directions say to line 3 cookies sheets and put 4 cookies on each one. That means 12 100g cookies. I got 7 100g balls and 1 85g ball which totals 8 (with one being a lot smaller). ??
Hi Lorrie – I am not sure what is going on with the measurements here. I’ve made these cookies several times, following these very instructions, and always have the same results.
She was not clear. I understand your valid complaint. You’re going to cycle through three sheets of pans w four cookies on each pan. 1) pan one in freezer w four doughs: >put in freezer 15 min >put in oven>bake special way in recipe 2) pan two READY TO GO to be put in freezer 15 min> and con’t follow 1) (above), and bake special way in recipe 3) pan three READY TO GO to be put in freezer, and con’t follow 1), and bake special way in recipe 4) Enjoy!
awesome photos! I was so excited to try them, but when i made the dough it was a lot paler and a more liquidity consistency than the picture shows. I also added less sugar, but when i dropped them, the ridges definitely were a lot less noticeable than the picture’s. All in all, they were still yummy, I guess I gotta master the skill of pan dropping:)!
If you try these again, I would add the exact quantities of ingredients listed. It will make a difference in the overall outcome of the cookies. Enjoy!
Question… when you said to repeat dropping the pan, do I bake for 2 minutes each time before I drop? Or by repeat did you mean drop it more times and then bake for the remainder of time?
Hello Julie – bake for 2 minutes, drop, bake for 2 minutes, drop… (Have fun!)
These are fantastic, thank you!! Perfect instruction! Using a scale is the only way to bake.
This chocolate chip looks so yummy. I’m pretty sure that if I get the tray of those cookies, I will eat them all.
Wow! I can’t wait to try the recipe. Would love to win a copy of the cookbook. Thanks!
I ask you; You doesn’t like a Good Chocolate Chip Cookie? They are a favorite in my family.
Thanks 4 sharing the recipe
I would never dream of turning down a chocolate chip cookie – these are no exception! YUM!
I love homemade chocolate chip cookies — and these are calling my name!
You will swoon at the flavor and different textures of these cookies. So nice to hear from you, Kelly!
I made them last night! Turned out perfectly – just like the picture! – thanks to the techniques shared. I weighed each cookie and followed the recipe exactly. They look delicious and taste even better! Thanks for sharing!
Yaaaayyyy! That makes me so happy – and I’m sure Sarah is smiling too. I’m making these cookies again this weekend. Can’t help myself! :)
GAH!! I need to get my mitts on her book…..and these cookies!!
Yes. Yes, you definitely do!
This is exactly how I want my chocolate chip cookie!
Yesssssss!
I always love trying a new chocolate chip cookie – and these look like perfection! Totally need to check out that cookbook so I can make more delicious creations too!
This is definitely a different chocolate chip cookie. I am completely addicted. And Sarah’s book is simply lovely – do check it out. Thanks, Taylor!
hey girl- this looks so yummy! I love chocolate chips cookies! I remember making them with my Mom growing up!
SO YUMMY!! Thanks, Shawnna – have a great day!
I am on a mission to try every chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. This one is so unique! I can’t wait to test them out, and I need to get my paws on that book too!
Erin! You will NOT be disappointed. These are the most unique chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. ENJOY!! xo