Layers of Love Chocolate Chip Cookies
BECAUSE LIKE ANYTHING ELSE,
THERE’S DEPTH IN LOVE
Have you ever been sick of baking the same cookies over and over again because people think that your chocolate chip cookies are just the best? I was flattered that for so many years my chocolate chip cookies are so well loved. But come on… I just had to branch out. So I searched for a different way of making it. I wanted them crunchy, instead of chewy like how I used to do it. This recipe is taken directly from Sarah Copeland’s The Newlywed Cookbook, “Thousand-Layer Chocolate Chip Cookies.” OK there’s really not that many layers, so don’t get discouraged.
You really, really need to try it. It’s super yummy. Believe me, you won’t regret it. Yes, of course there are more steps in the process of making it. Not as standard as ‘you only need a couple of bowls to hold your wet and dry ingredients’ kind of thing. But, isn’t that the norm that you give more effort to get exceptionally good results? These cookies are worth your extra effort for sure.
I’m using a Scharffen Berger 62% semi sweet cacao baking chocolate bar for this recipe instead of bittersweet chocolate. The next time I will definitely be using their baking chunks (they come in a 6oz bag, so you would need 1½ bags, or heck – make it two. I’d say the more the merrier.) That way I don’t have to coarsely chop the bar. One less step to the process.
These cookies are a perfect complement to a bowl of creamy vanilla ice cream. Crunchy, sweet with a hint of savory from the flour de sell lightly sprinkled on top. Out of this world!
Adapted from The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten, for brushing
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 9 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
- Heat the oven to 375˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, two at a time, followed by vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in dry ingredients into butter mixture on low speed. Stop and scrape down the bowl to make sure all the butter is evenly incorporated.
- Divide the dough into 3 portions. Put each dough portion on large piece of cling wrap, and pat into a 4” x 6” rectangle. Wrap and refrigerate on a flat shelf in the fridge for about 30 minutes. (This helps to set the butter and make the dough easier to work with. Chilling cookie dough also helps cookies/biscuits keep their shape when they bake.)
- Coarsely chop the chocolate using a serrated knife. Set aside.
- When the dough is chilled, lay one portion on a lightly floured counter top. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate and top with another piece of dough. Repeat with remaining chocolate and dough until you have a slab of dough with two layers of chocolate. Dust lightly and evenly with flour and roll gently with a rolling pin into a large 9” x 6” rectangle that’s about 1½”.
- Using a 2” round cookie or biscuit cutter cut out ten rounds of dough. Gather the scraps together, pat lightly, and cut out remaining cookies. Divide half of the cookies between the 2 prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3” between cookies since they will spread. Brush the tops of each cookie with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt.
- Bake until the cookies are set, 12 to 15 minutes, switching the sheets halfway through top to bottom if you’re baking two sheets at a time. Let cookies/biscuits cool slightly, about 3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely before using to bake the remaining dough (lining with more parchment/baking paper if needed). Bake as directed, switching sheets top to bottom half way through baking, and cool.
