bake - January/February 2024 - 58

formula of the month
supersized
Chocolate Chip Cookies
PREP 35 mins
BAKE 15 to 22 mins
When King Arthur Baking Company set out
to make a chocolate chip cookie worthy of
the title of Recipe of the Year, King Arthur
knew it had to create a version that combined
ingredients and techniques in neverbefore-seen
ways. The result is big, ultrabuttery
cookies full of deep caramel notes
thanks to nutty brown butter. The texture
- ultra-soft but also a little bendy! - comes
from the tangzhong starter as well as bread
flour, which lends a satisfying chew. And
then there's the chocolate: a big handful
of chopped semisweet wafers that adds
sweetness and complexity and pushes the
chocolate chip cookie into bolder, richer,
and more sophisticated territory than it's
ever gone before.
Ingredients
2 cups (426g) light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons table salt
16 tablespoons (226g) unsalted butter, cut
into 1 " pieces
1/2 cup (113g) milk, whole preferred
2 3/4 cups (330g)
King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour,
divided
2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
1 tablespoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla
Extract
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (340g) semisweet chocolate,
preferably 60% to 65% cocoa content
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar
and salt. Set aside.
58 < JAN-FEB 2024 | bakemag.com
TOTAL 1 day 1 hour
YIELD 16 to 17 large (4 " ) cookies or 28 medium (3 " ) cookies
To brown the butter
In a saucepan over medium-high heat,
melt the butter. After several minutes, the
butter will sizzle and may spatter. Continue
to cook the butter, swirling the pan regularly
for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it's a dark
golden-brown color and brown bits start
collecting at the bottom of the pan; the
butter will have stopped sizzling and may
also have a layer of foam on the surface.
Once the butter is browned, immediately
pour it over the sugar mixture (be sure to
scrape out the brown bits at the bottom)
and whisk vigorously to combine; this helps
dissolve the sugar and creates the shiny
surface of the baked cookies. Set the empty
saucepan aside to cool slightly.
To make the tangzhong
In the same saucepan used to brown the
butter, combine the milk with 3 tablespoons
(23g) of the bread flour and whisk until no
lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat and
cook the mixture, stirring regularly with a
flexible spatula, until it's thickened, pastelike,
and starts to come together into one
mass, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer directly
to the bowl with the butter and sugar.
Whisk until mostly smooth; some lumps of
the tangzhong mixture are OK.
Add the eggs and vanilla and continue
whisking until smooth.
Weigh or measure the remaining 2 1/2
cups plus 1 tablespoon (307g) bread flour
by gently spooning it into a cup, then
sweeping off any excess. Add the bread
flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar,
then add the baking powder and baking
soda. Using a flexible spatula, stir until well
combined and no dry spots remain.
Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator
and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
While
the batter is cooling, use a serrated
knife to roughly chop the chocolate into
coarse pieces. Avoid chopping the chocolate
too fine, as small pieces will melt when
mixed into the dough.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator
and fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover
the bowl and return to the refrigerator for
24 to 72 hours to allow the flavors to intensify.
To
bake the cookies: When you're ready
to bake, remove the chilled cookie dough
from the refrigerator and let it rest at room
temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes to
allow it to warm up slightly. Meanwhile, preheat
oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
Scoop the dough into 85g to 90g portions;
a level scone and muffin scoop works
well here. If you're scooping by hand, the
mounds of dough should be about 2 1/4 " in
diameter. To make smaller cookies (that are
still generous in size), scoop the dough into
50g portions using a jumbo cookie scoop.
Arrange the scooped cookie dough
on parchment-lined baking sheets, placing
them 3 " to 4 " apart. (The 90g cookies
can be arranged in a 2-1-2 pattern; the 50g
cookies can be arranged in a slightly staggered
4 x 2 pattern.) Bake the large (90g)
chocolate chip cookies for 18 to 22 minutes
or the smaller (50g) cookies for 15 to 18
minutes, until the edges are set.
PHOTO AND FORMULA COURTESY OF KING ARTHUR BAKING COMPANY
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - January/February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of bake - January/February 2024
