Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This is going to sound pathetic, but the other day at an education conference, we were treated with Panera for lunch and dessert. The little cookie and brownie bite just didn't satisfy me, and I didn't get to enjoy them with milk. I appetite had been whetted, and I was compelled to go home and mix up some chocolate chocolate chunk cookies with which I could enjoy a tall glass of cold milk. The funny thing is that this dough requires at least a 24 hour rest time in the fridge, so I didn't even get to enjoy these until the next evening. They were worth the wait.

Although the cookies themselves don't look all that deep and dark in color, because of the relatively large amount of chocolate chunks in the batter, the flavor is super chocolatey. When these cookies are still warm out of the oven, they are crisp around the edges and soft in the middle. Very nice. Once they cool, though, they lose the crisp edge and just become chewy, which is also very nice. I can tell you for sure that they are delicious at all stages because I've eaten waaaay too many of them trying to get some decent pics of the inside. I know, I know. I don't HAVE to eat them to take pics, but, um, these were so good that I wanted to.
Since I really have enjoyed my Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies that involve a little bit of cream cheese in the dough, I decided to adapt it into a chocolate cookie, and it works. The only problem I had with these was the stickiness of the dough. I tried to refrigerate the dough in a brownie pan lined with parchment, like I've been doing with some chocolate chunk cookies. Unfortunately, it was just too messy to be worth the "ease" of that portioning method. So, if you're going to do this, I just recommend using a cookie scoop.

P.S. I have to tell you, these cookies do taste better than I have been able to capture with my pics. There's something super difficult about photographing chocolate cookies, and since I'm just a photography hack, it shows in pics like the ones you see here. 

Chewy Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Cookies

       --adapted from For Me-For You who in a roundabout way got it from Jacques Torres

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cake flour 
• 2/3 cups  King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, such as kosher

• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened

• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 9 oz. good quality semi sweet chocolate chips/chunks/discs (I used two 9.5 oz bags of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises, unwrapped an chopped into large chunks.)

Instructions:

Combine flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Put dry ingredients through a sieve to sift them together. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter, cream cheese, and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low/stir; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add the chocolate chunks, and mix briefly to incorporate. Place in an airtight plastic container, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Once chilled, you can bake or scoop dough balls to freeze for later baking.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon scoops onto parchment lined cookie sheets and leave about 2 inches between cookies. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until puffed and set at the edges. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more. 

Enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk. Mmmm...

Makes about 4 dozen smallish cookies