Double Choco Chunk Cookies
Cookies – Just hearing this word at any time of the day can make me all excited and hungry! I am sure many would echo this opinion of mine. Cookies are one of the most popular snack not just among the kids but adults likewise. These gooey, chewy and crunchy bites taste so heavenly and comforting that there is nothing for which one would not love them.
When we talk about cookies, there are numerous flavours and variations, but one of my favourite cookies is the Double Choco Chunk Cookie. I am crazy about chocolates and choco flavour whenever it comes to any cakes or desserts (who does not love chocolate 😉 ) and trust me this cookie is a heaven for all chocolate lovers.
These double choco chunk cookies are a sinful delight as it is doubly loaded with chocolate – one in the form of cocoa powder in the dough and other in form of whole chocolate chunks which go on top of it. The choco chunks melt slightly after baking and make them irresistible and extra delicious. The reason these cookies are called ‘double choco chunk’ and not ‘double choco chip’ is because this recipe makes use of large chunks of chocolate on top as compared to the small choco chips.
Cookies have a complex texture and this is what makes them unique. A good cookie is supposed to be gooey and a bit chewy from the inside and crunchy from the outside. It is very easy to get this texture wrong if the right ingredients are not used in right proportion. I simply love the gourmet cookies that are available in some of the exclusive cookie outlets in the malls and even some of the other joints like Subway. These cookies are large, chunky and extremely gooey and this is exactly the kind of cookies that we are going to discuss in this recipe. It is eggless too!
Unlike biscuits, cookies generally include eggs in the recipe. In this recipe we are going to be seeing how to make eggless cookies. There are numerous alternatives for eggs in baking – say for instance, buttermilk, mashed bananas, flax seeds powder etc. For most of my cakes, I use buttermilk as an egg substitute, however for cookies, flax seeds powder mixed with water works best. If you consume eggs, you could replace the flax seeds powder mixture with one egg in the below recipe.
As mentioned earlier, it is very important to get the texture right when we make these cookies and the ingredients play a significant role for each of the element in the texture. Let’s look at some of the main ingredients for this cookie:
Butter – We require room temperature butter which is neither super hard nor in melted form. If the butter is too hard or melted, it would not cream well with the sugar. We are looking for a consistency where if you push your thumb against the butter block, it should leave an impression.
Brown Sugar – Brown sugar is very important for making cookies, as the moisture in the sugar helps make the cookies gooey and a bit chewy, so do not skip this ingredient or replace completely with white castor sugar.
White Caster Sugar – White sugar is important to get the crunch in the cookie. Use fine sugar and if the sugar granules are big, just pulse once in the mixer. If only brown sugar is used, then the cookie would not have a crunchy base.
Plain Refined Flour – Use a good quality plain flour or maida for this recipe. Whole wheat flour could be used if you are particular about not using the refined flour, but the cookies would be a bit denser.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Use a natural cocoa powder which is not sweetened. I generally use the Hershey’s cocoa powder which works great for this recipe. If you are using Dutch processed cocoa powder (which is darker in colour), I recommend addition of half teaspoon baking powder as well to this recipe, as Dutch cocoa powder is not that acidic and does not react well just with baking soda.
Flaxseed Powder – 1 tablespoon of flaxseed powder mixed in 3 tablespoons of water is equivalent for one egg. This gives the necessary binding for the cookie. If you do not want to use flaxseed powder, you could use buttermilk made by mixing 2 tablespoons of milk with 2 tablespoons of yoghurt.
Baking Soda – Baking soda is used so that the cookies rise and become lighter. This recipe does not require baking powder in addition to the baking soda, unless you are using Dutch cocoa powder.
Corn Starch or Corn Flour – Using a small amount of corn starch yields a chewy cookie. If you do not like the chewy texture in the centre, you could skip this ingredient. You could also achieve the chewy texture by slightly increasing the proportion of brown sugar over the white sugar, however I recommend using corn starch along with equal proportion of brown and white sugar for the perfect results.
Chocolate Chunks – Use a good quality dark chocolate broken it in chunks for the topping. Do not mix these chunks into the flour, however place them on the cookie dough balls just before baking. You could also use a mix of dark and milk chocolate chunks as per your preference. It is important to contrast the type of chocolate that you are using in the flour and as chunks. In case you are using a dark cocoa powder, preferably use milk chocolate to balance the sweetness.
Coffee – Using a small amount of coffee enhances the flavour of chocolate. I always use some coffee in my chocolate bakes, let it be cakes, muffins or cookies.
Few Tips & Tricks for Perfect Cookies:
Chill the cookie dough – One of the common issues while baking cookie is that it flattens out too much during the bake. To avoid this, the dough needs to be chilled in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to baking.
Baking Time – Cookies typically require a baking time of only 12 to 13 minutes at max. The cookie might look soft and under done while taking out of the oven at this stage, but don’t panic and over bake, as the cookie hardens when it cools down.
Sprinkle Kosher Salt – In addition to the small amount of table salt that is added to the cookie dough, I like sprinkling some coarse kosher salt soon after the cookies are out of the oven. These salty grains taste great and provide a contrast with the sweetness of the chocolate.
Storage of Cookies – These cookies can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Double Choco Chunk Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
Ingredients
- 115 grams Unsalted Butter at room temperature
- ⅓ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup White Caster Sugar
- 130 grams Dark Chocolate Bar
- 2 tbsp Choco Chips
- 1 Cup + 2 tbsp Plain Flour
- 1 tbsp Flaxseed Powder
- 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch or Corn Flour optional
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee
- Kosher Salt for garnishing
Instructions
- Take 1 tablespoon of flaxseed powder and mix it with 3 tablespoons water. Keep this aside.
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter, white caster sugar and brown sugar and using an electric beater or whisk, cream the butter for 3 to 4 minutes till light and fluffy.
- Once the sugar and butter are incorporated well and creamy, add the flaxseed mixture and beat for 1 minute.
- Next add the vanilla essence and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients – plain flour, baking soda, table salt, cocoa powder to get rid of any lumps.
- Now add the sieved dry ingredients to the wet mix and cut and fold and bring it together. Do not use an electric beater or whisk for this step and just use a spatula. Do not over mix.
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon of coffee in 1 tablespoon of hot water.
- Add the coffee mix to the cookie dough and add 2 tablespoons of choco chips. Mix gently.
- Scrape the bowl to bring together the dough. It might not be too stiff at this stage. Refrigerate this cookie dough covered for at least 1 hour.
- Once the cookie dough is chilled, it would be bit stiff and set. This is the consistency at which the cookies are to be baked.
- Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius with bottom and top heating + fan mode on. In the meanwhile line the baking tray with a butter or parchment paper and slightly grease some butter. The cookies are to be baked in two batches (set of 6) as the cookies spread out on the tray during the bake.
- Chop the dark chocolate bar into small chunks
- Now using an ice-cream scooper, scoop a small chapati sized ball onto the baking tray. You could also use a round serving spoon if you do not have an ice-cream scooper.
- Now push some generous amount of chocolate chunks on top of each cookie.
- Transfer the baking tray into the pre-heated oven and bake for 11-13 minutes. The cookie would spread out automatically during the bake. The cookie would have set edges however feel soft and bit under-done in the center at this stage, but it would harden on cooling, so do not overbake!
- Pull the baking tray out of the oven and immediately sprinkle some coarse kosher salt on top. Let the cookie rest on the baking tray for 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies on a cooling rack. Repeat the baking for the remaining cookies.
- Once cooled completely, transfer the cookies to an air tight container and store at room temperature.
Notes
- Use standard measuring cups and spoons for measuring the ingredients.
- It is important to use room temperature butter, else it would not cream well with the sugar.
- Make sure to use both brown and white caster sugar for getting the perfect texture. If the white sugar that you have is of large grains, just pulse in mixer once, however do not make it too fine!
- Contrast the type of cocoa powder and the choco chunks. If you are using regular cocoa powder, use a dark chocolate for the chunks and vice versa.
- You could also use a mix of dark and milk chocolate for the topping. Pro-tip: Dark chocolate with almonds also pairs so well for the topping.
- Do not mix the choco chunks into the dough and top it on the cookie dough for better appearance and taste.
- It is very important to chill the cookie dough in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, else the cookie would spread out too much while baking. Longer the refrigeration time, thicker the cookies!
- Do not overbake the cookies. They might look bit underdone, however would harden on cooling.
- You could skip the corn flour if you do not prefer a chewy center.
- You can also freeze the cookie dough and use for the baking as required. The cookie dough need not be thawed before the bake, just increase the bake time by couple of minutes.
