madcity girl

My friend Emily recently gave me a copy of a recipe from Cooks Illustrated for Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies. I guess she knows a chocoholic when she sees one. The recipe was actually from her dad, who had hand- written “added chocolate chips and white chocolate chips” at the bottom of the recipe. That’s my kind of guy!

As if these cookies needed more chocolate. But I’m not one to argue with the notes of an accomplished baker, so I threw ‘em in. What I love about recipes from Cooks Illustrated is that every recipe is tested, sometimes hundreds of times, in “America’s Test Kitchen.” Every possible variation of ingredients, methodology, cooking time, equipment, etc. is considered until the very best recipe emerges. That’s so scientific! The accompanying recipe notes detailed that the goal of this particular test kitchen experiment was to find an “an exceptionally rich chocolate cookie that we would sink our teeth into-without having it fall apart.”

Mission definitely accomplished. In fact, they are the best chocolate cookies I’ve ever tasted. Hands down. I described them to my friends as “quadruple chocolate” cookies—because they contain cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and both white chocolate and semi-chocolate chips. They are like a cookie and brownie in one—rich, chocolaty, chewy, and soft in the middle. And you certainly can’t go wrong with a combination like that!

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.

2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.

4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.

5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.