Chocolate Chip Cookies

just what the world needs, another riff on the beloved treat!

I developed a version of this recipe about seven years ago when I was opening up an all day cafe. We had a small pastry case to fill and we weren’t doing croissants but focusing on savory tarts, cannelés, cookies, quiche, sourdough bagels and flatbreads etc. While I typically like to explore more complex flavor combinations and embrace a super seasonal menu, I knew I still needed to create a treat that would be a staple for our guests. Our Canelés de Bourdeaux and Rye Chocolate Chip cookies were by far our best sellers.

I am a Crunchy on the outside, Gooey on the inside, type of CCC lover. Enter locally milled, fresh Danko Rye Flour. Rye flour has a softer gluten structure making for that nice chewy center but also adds a delicious nutty malt bally flavor. I was lucky to have grown up with one of the last commercially operated water mills in the state, Woodson's Mill, and by the time I needed to order large amounts of flour, they had expanded their offerings beyond grits. If you ever find yourself in western Virginia, I highly recommend you visit this place, you can dunk your head in the Piney River and then follow it down to Mill that it powers. You can also order the order flour here .

Fast forward a few years to 2020, I had left my job, the cafe had closed and I was working as a consultant for a local coffee shop, they needed a cookie so I reworked my original into a miso ccc made with whole wheat flour. I’ve also experimented with adding Doenjang ( Korean fermented soy bean paste) for a deeper flavor with great success. All this to say, you can riff on this recipe, its just a cookie after all! If you do trade whole wheat flour for rye, you will most likely need to adjust the liquid by adding a teaspoon of water.

Now for the chocolate, I am a bit of a pain about this. I like to use two-three different levels of sweetness. Milk, Semi-sweet and Dark. I am currently enjoying using Tcho Chocolate as I think the flavor is particularly great and the price point is fantastic. I also like the hexagonal shape for cookies. If this is annoying to you, feel free to just do all semi sweet or half milk and half dark.

One non-negotionable is that you MUST chill the cookies to achieve superior results. If you absolutely cannot wait 24 hrs, you can throw the balls in the freezer for a couple hours before baking. And, my secret to a joyful life is indeed, a stash of frozen unbaked cookie dough balls, always there for me and my friends.

Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes about 24 cookies

• 255 g all-purpose flour

• 225 g rye flour

• 1.25 teaspoons baking soda

• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 t sea salt

• 285 g room temperature unsalted butter

• 285 g brown sugar

• 140 g white sugar

• 85 g glucose

• 100 g eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

• 85 g miso or doenjang (optional)

• 225 g semisweet callets (60–68%)

• 170 g milk chocolate callets (46–55%)

• 170 g super dark chocolate callets (80–83%)

Directions:

Line a half sheet with parchment. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Mise out the rest of your ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugars, miso (if using) and glucose. Using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream together for 3-4 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl to ensure everything is homogenous. Add the eggs one at a time and beat on medium high for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on low until just combined, it is okay if there are still dry spots. Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Portion using an ice cream scoop or a spoon, if you want to be exact, you can weigh each ball on the scale to 80 g ( for a hefty cookie) or 40 g (for a baby cookie) but don’t obsess. You will place these close together, leaving about 1/2 inch between each scoop. Once on your sheet pan, I like to use my palm or a glass and gently flatten the cookie dome. Wrap tightly or cover with a tight fitting lid. Chill at least 24hrs in the fridge or in the freezer for up to two months. If I am freezing, I find it easy to take the hardened cookies and throw into a cambro or gallon ziploc.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 375F

Place cookies at least two inches apart on a parchment lined pan, (6 per half sheet) and add another chocolate callet of your choice on top, I usually go for super dark, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 6 minutes, spin your pan front to back. Bake for another 6 minutes. If I really want perfect rounds, at this point I will take a 4-5” round cookie cutter and round them out, you must do this very quickly before the cookies set. I then place the cookies back in the oven for another minute. I look for golden set edges and a still poofy/slightly jiggly center. Remove from oven, place on cooling rack, enjoy your life.

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