Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [73]
6. Bake for 8 minutes. Turn them over so the other cut side is against the sheet and continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until lightly toasted and hard. Cool them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Recommended storage
1 week at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
Customize It!
Substitute any of the following for the dried cherries: currants, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, or golden raisins.
And/or substitute any of the following for the almonds: pecan halves, walnut halves, or whole hazelnuts.
MAPLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
The secret ingredient in these intensely flavored chocolate chip cookies is maple sugar. Maple syrup, even Grade B (the strongest flavor), simply doesn’t pack enough punch to stand up to the chocolate. Maple sugar is dehydrated maple syrup, and can be found in most gourmet stores or from outlets listed in the Source Guide, page 229.
MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES
13/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) cool, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus additional for greasing the baking sheets
11/2 cups maple sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
21/2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter two large baking sheets; set them aside. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until the baking soda is uniform throughout the mixture; set aside as well.
2. Soften the butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, about 1 minute. Add the maple sugar and beat until light, pale brown, and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the eggs one at a time, beating the first in before adding the second. Beat in the vanilla. Turn off the beaters, add the prepared flour mixture, and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon. The batter will be thick and sticky, but don’t press down as you stir in the chips—you want to retain a light, moist batter.
3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and back to front. Continue baking for about 6 more minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned and slightly puffed—if you touch one, it will be a little soft, but the indentation will remain in the cookie. Cool on the sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes before buttering them again and baking additional batches, as needed.
Recommended storage
4 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
More Choices!
For cakier cookies, refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours, or until firm. Roll tablespoonfuls of the chilled dough into small balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 11/2 inches apart. Bake as directed, pressing them lightly wih a flatware spoon halfway through baking.
For still cakier cookies, roll tablespoonfuls of the chilled dough into balls and freeze the balls for 8 hours, or until hard. Bake them directly from the freezer, placing them on the prepared baking sheets and spacing them about 11/2 inches apart. Increase the baking time by 1 to 2 minutes.
MEXICAN CHOCOLATE WALNUT COOKIES
This is our chocolate version of Mexican Wedding Cakes—crispy little nut cookies, often coated in powdered sugar and served at Christmas or on special occasions. The fat in the chocolate will cause them to flatten