Sunday, October 17, 2010

Crispy Chocolate Cookies


The recipe is originally from the New York Times Cookbook. I thought it sounded good, so I decided to try it.



The funny thing is that (in the original recipe) they're supposed to be chewy... but for me they turned out crispy. Every batch was crispy, but that's ok.




I think I like this type of cookie to be crunchy anyway.
It was necessary to change the name!





BUT, I'm writing the recipe as I found it (and if you happen to have chewy cookies, I'm sorry, but it's a nice surprise).



Grating the chocolate by hand can be tedious as well as a version of Russian Roulette for your knuckles, so it's very nice to have a food processor to do the job for you.
I don't know who would dare to try grating a cup of nuts by hand...





One important thing to remember is that the dough will spread while baking. They're baked at a relatively low heat which causes the chocolate to melt into the dough and likewise gives the dough time to melt and spread instead of setting up in a more rounded shape. You'll want to make sure to give them plenty of room- I baked them with six per sheet.



True, it does take a while to bake all of them...
I did like them, but I would like to try to see what I can do to make them chewy.
I believe more technique, time, and temperature experimentation is necessary... or maybe it's my oven.



Crispy Chocolate Cookies
makes about 60

2 c flour
1 scant T kosher salt
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 c packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 c sugar
16 T unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
12 oz finely shaved bittersweet chocolate
8 oz finely ground walnuts

Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Combine sugars and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Add reserved flour mixture, chocolate, and nuts. Mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized portions and roll into balls if not using a rounded spoon or a small scoop. Transfer cookies to a parchment paper lined baking sheet and space at least 3 inches apart. Flatten cookies and bake until set, about 15 minutes.


6 comments:

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  5. Crispy or chewy? The crispness of a cookie is a question of honor. There are too many things around us which are chewy and weak already. What we need is a counterpoint to the soft and lame cookies: true, crisp, clearly defined, neat and decisively original chocolate cookies. And: Why do we use the word chewy for something that needs less effort to chew than the crisp, real stuff? Yours is a unique, authentically original and absolutely delicious Chocolate Cookie! The last word in things cookie.

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  6. Strong words.
    It certainly sounds like you've thoroughly thought this through.
    Cookie aficionado in addition to chocolate?

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