Sanctuary from The Mad World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. - Orson Welles

A break from the never-ending London stuff…

Thanks to A, my search for the perfect one is well and truly over. I know I tried various versions here but, gentle reader, this is it.

Her attempt egged me to finally close the trial of the NYT recipe. It yields savoury and not-overly sweet cookies, just the way I like it. Warm from the oven, its texture reminds me of Famous Amos. Mellowed after a period of cooling, the flavours meld together into one buttery bite.

The difference is really in the coarse sea salt. Each bite has an irresistible and addictive crunch of a salt crystal. I used Camargue sea salt which I normally reserve for salad dressing. But I think any sea salt which is coarse and slightly oily is fine.

I refrigerate the dough for 36 hours as per NYT’s instruction. True enough, the cookies are more uniformly and richly flavoured. I feel that the salt has been given enough time to melt to its surrounding are and flavours the cookie instead of being concentrated in their little crystals.

I made the following modifications from the original recipes:
- I used all purpose flour because I didn’t stock on cake and bread flour but I fully intend to try using the two types of flour. A assured me it’s worth the efforts.
- I skip the vanilla extract as my sugar is already vanilla scented (from burying empty vanilla pods into the sugar).
- Like her, I added 3/4 cups of nuts (hazelnuts in my case). I love nuts in my cookies.
- Instead of balling the dough, I scooped them using a small ice-cream scoop (approx. 3-4 cm). Therefore, my baking time is less at 12-15 minutes.
- I didn’t add in extra sea salt before baking. It’s salty enough as it is.

In the future though, I might reduce the amount of chocolate to 100-150 grams.


Ingredients:
(Ingredients are verbatim from Gastroanthropology)

2 c minus 2 Tbs (8 1/2 oz) cake flour
1 2/3 c (8 1/2 oz) bread flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 c) unsalted butter (282 g)
1 1/4 c (10 oz) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate chips
extra sea salt

Directions:
(Directions are verbatim from the famous cookie debate in NYT)

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.