These buttery chocolate-loaded cookies boast perfectly soft, chewy centers that ripple out into crinkled, crispy edges.
Ingredients
2upsall-purpose flour(284 g)
½teaspoonbaking soda
¾teaspoonMorton kosher salt
½pound(2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½cupsgranulated sugar(297 g)
¼cuppacked light brown sugar(50 g)
1largeegg
1½teaspoonspure vanilla extract
2tablespoonswater
6ouncesbittersweet chocolate bar, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging 1/2" with some smaller and some larger. (170 g)
Instructions
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line three baking pans with aluminum foil, dull side up.
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 granulated 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 3½ ounces (100 g) each. This is approximately a heaping ⅓ cup each. 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. 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
This recipe is from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book - a book by Sarah Kieffer, the local Minnesota food blogger behind The Vanilla Bean Blog. My first pan-banging chocolate chip cookie was actually baked by Sarah - I was hooked at first bite! Sarah's book is full of delightful recipes accompanied by Sarah’s signature simple-yet-elegant photography and thoughtful writing - I highly recommend.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.