Semi-Retro Chocolate-Chip Cookies
By Amy Traverso|Nov 04 2013|
Semi-Retro Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo Credit: Michael PiazzaRemember the 1990s obsession with white chocolate? You’ll find both white and bittersweet chocolate in these classic cookies, and the combination is lovely. This recipe was created by former Yankee food editor Leslie Land. Of this recipe, she wrote in her signature wry style, “These are old-fashioned in containing chopped chocolate instead of chips, modern in their inclusion of white chocolate. The texture is moist and slightly chewy—if you want crisp, might as well go for the recipe on the bag.”
Find more recipes for “Cookies Through the Decades.”
Yield:
about 6 dozen cookiesIngredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-1/2–14 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3-1/2–4 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° and set the racks to the middle positions, with space in between. Line 2 baking (cookie) sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt and set aside.
With a standing or hand-held mixer, cream the butter, shortening, sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, beating well after each. Add the syrup and vanilla and beat well. Stir in the flour mixture, then the chopped chocolate and nuts.
Drop by rounded tablespoons; then bake until lightly browned and dry on top, about 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Let cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes; then transfer to wire racks.
How can there be 3 or 4 bars of each type of chocolate, but such a disparity in the weight of the chocolate? I can find the same size bars in both white chocolate and bittersweet. Is it supposed to be a 50/50 split or is there 3 times as much bittersweet as white?
Thank you for pointing that out! Looks like there was an editing error as we put this recipe on the site. We’ll fix it right away.
This is what you look for in Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes: Always an extra egg yolk, Always a measurement of a liquid sugar component ie. maple syrup, molassas, honey, even wretched corn syrup. This all aids in the soft, chewy, moist factor if that’s what you’re looking for. If you disire a cake-like texture then usually the recipes without the extra egg yolk and invert sugar (liquid sugar) will provide that outcome.
Also, try not to over bake since this will diminish the chewy quality.
And for the daring–to guarantee the chewy consistency, do this: when removing cookies from oven, literally drop the tray onto the counter in order to flatten and condense the texture. It’s an old bakery trick that works!