Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [86]
3. Place the butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until softened, about 1 minute. Add both kinds of sugar and continue beating until the mixture is light but not smooth, with no bits of butter visible but the sugar still partially undissolved, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, then the egg white until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the cooled, melted white chocolate, pouring it into the mixture in a thin, steady stream while the beaters are running at medium speed. Beat until smooth, about 20 seconds, then beat in the vanilla.
4. Turn off the beaters, add the flour mixture, and beat at low speed or stir with a wooden spoon until a soft, pliable, but somewhat sticky batter forms, about 15 seconds. Stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon just until evenly distributed.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a large, ungreased baking sheet, preferably nonstick, spacing the mounds about 2 inches apart. Bake in the top third of the oven for 8 minutes, then reverse the sheet front to back. Continue baking for about 8 more minutes, or until the cookies are soft but set, very lightly browned at the edges. Cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the sheet for 5 minutes before baking additional batches.
Recommended storage
4 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
More Choices!
Black and White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce the semisweet chocolate chips to 11/2 cups; add 11/2 cups white chocolate chips with the remaining semisweet chips.
Cherry White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce the semisweet chocolate chips to 11/2 cups; add 11/2 cups dried cherries with the remaining semisweet chips.
Pure White Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies: Substitute white chocolate chips for the semisweet chips.
White Chocolate Walnut Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies: Substitute 11/2 cups chopped walnuts and 11/2 cups milk chocolate chips for the semisweet chips.
WHOOPIE PIES
Whether you call them Moon Pies, Scooter Pies, or Whoopie Pies, they’re an American classic: big cookie sandwiches with marshmallow cream centers. What a fitting end to a chocolate cookie book! Even better, freeze them and eat them right out of the freezer—think of them as frozen candy bars.
MAKES 8 LARGE SANDWICH COOKIES
FOR THE COOKIES
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (4 ounces), plus additional for greasing the baking sheets
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (regular or low-fat, but not nonfat)
FOR THE FILLING
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening (2 ounces)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Marshmallow Fluff
1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until uniformly colored; set aside. Use a dab of shortening on a piece of crumpled wax paper to grease two large baking sheets; set aside as well.
2. Beat the shortening, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in 1/4 cup of the buttermilk until smooth, then remove the beaters. Stir in half the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon, then stir in the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk. Finally, gently stir in the remainder of the flour just until incorporated. The dough will be thick and wet. Do not overmix.
3. Scoop up 1/4 cup of