A pinch of nutmeg and a sprinkling of salt amplify the butterscotchy flavor of chocolate chip cookies, while a blend of milk and dark chocolate chunks provide alternating bites of creamy sweetness and bitter intensity. You can bake the cookies until they’re golden brown and crunchy, but I prefer to pull them while they’re still a wee bit pale so they stay soft and fudgy, crisp only around the very edges.
Notes
Make Ahead:
- Divide the portioned dough among several heavy-duty zip-top bags and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.
- Let stand at room temperature until quite soft (about 70°F), and bake as directed.
Mix it up!
Brown Butter:
Ready for a total knockout?- Up the butter to 10 ounces (2½ sticks) and use 2 eggs.
- In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Increase to medium and simmer, stirring with a heat-resistant spatula, while the butter hisses and pops. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping up any brown bits that form on the bottom of the pan, until the butter is golden yellow and perfectly silent.
- Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, making sure to scrape up all the toasty brown bits, and cool until semi-solid and opaque.
- Proceed with the recipe as directed, incorporating the second egg after the first.
Double Chocolate:
For soft cookies with a brownie-like chocolate intensity:- Reduce the flour to 6 ounces (1⅓ cups) and sift with 6 ounces (2 cups) of Dutch-process cocoa powder, such as Cacao Barry Extra Brute.
- Prepare the dough as directed, but flatten each portion into a ¾-inch disc.
- Bake for 8 minutes for small cookies, and 10 minutes for large.
Homemade Famous Amos®:
Hypercrisp and crunchy, these bite-sized cookies get an extra layer of flavor and crunch from 4 ounces (1 cup) of toasted pecans.- Chop the pecans along with the chocolate, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
- Divide into 1 tablespoon (¾ ounce) portions and bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
- Makes 64 cookies.
Malted Milk Chocolate:
This variation is best with a blend of milk chocolates, one fairly intense and the other a touch milky, such as a mix of Endangered Species 48% and Valrhona’s 32% Dulcey.- Increase the white sugar to 14 ounces (2 cups) and omit the brown sugar.
- Along with the butter, add 1 ounce (4 teaspoons) of barley malt syrup and 2¼ ounces (½ cup) of malted milk powder.
Maple Walnut:
- Toss 6 ounces (1½ cups) of toasted walnut pieces with the flour and chocolate mixture.
- Increase the white sugar to 10½ ounces (1½ cups) and omit the brown sugar.
- Along with the butter, add ¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 3 ounces (¼ cup) of grade B maple syrup.
- For either size cookie, bake about 2 minutes longer than directed.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut:
- Reduce the chocolate to 9 ounces (1⅔ cup) of your favorite white chocolate, mixed with 7 ounces (1½ cups) of lightly toasted macadamia nuts.
Gluten-Free:
- Replace the all-purpose flour with 4 ounces (¾ cup) white rice flour, 4 ounces (1 cup) oat flour, and 4 ounces (1 cup) teff flour.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces chocolate - 2½ cups, roughly chopped, mixed dark, milk, and/or white (not chips)
- 12½ ounces all-purpose flour - 2¾ cups, such as Gold Medal
- 2 sticks unsalted butter - 8 ounces, soft but cool—about 65°F
- 8 ounces light brown sugar - 1 packed cup
- 7¼ ounces white sugar - 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - half as much if iodized, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 large egg - straight from the fridge
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the chocolate-flour situation:
- Set a handful of chopped chocolate aside.
- Place the remainder of the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl, sift the flour on top of the chocolate (if using cup measures, spoon the flour into the cups and level with a knife before sifting), and toss to combine.
Make the dough:
- Combine the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Mix on low speed to moisten, then increase to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- With the mixer running, crack in the egg and continue beating until smooth.
- Reduce the speed to low, add the flour/chocolate mixture, and mix to form a stiff dough.
Portion and bake:
- Divide the dough into thirty-two 1½-ounce (2-tablespoon, #40 portion scoop) portions or sixty-four ¾-ounces (1-tablespoon, #60 portion scoop) portions.
- Arrange the dough portions on a parchment-lined aluminum baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them.
- Sprinkle the cookies with the reserved chocolate along with a pinch of kosher salt for each.
- Bake until the cookies are puffed and pale gold around the edges but steamy in the middle, about 15 minutes for large, 12 minutes for small. Or, for crunchy cookies, continue baking until golden, 3 to 5 minutes more.
Cool and enjoy:
- Cool on the baking sheets until set, about 5 minutes. Enjoy warm, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.