EPIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

In my yearly Christmas cookie box, I always include a classic chocolate chip cookie. My go-to cookie in our household and what I usually put into the cookie box is my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Although those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are absolutely delicious, this year, I swapped for more simple classic chocolate chip cookies and those were a huge hit! Everyone loved them and for all the right reasons! They are THE king of all cookies and if you love to bake, this recipe is an essential cookie recipe to try.

What I love about these cookies and what differentiates these from other regular chocolate chip cookies are that they are flattened and chocolates are widely spread throughout the cookie. The key secret to this is the ‘pan-bang’ method.

What is a pan-bang method? While your cookies are baking in the oven, you bang the baking tray onto a counter top or on the rack to release all the air bubbles in the cookie. This flattens the cookie and spreads the chocolate, making the edges around the cookie crispy and soft and gooey in the centre. It’s absolutely the perfect cookie!

I hope you will enjoy!

-Ari Yori

EPIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

prep time: 10-15 minutes

rest time: 30 minutes

bake time: 9-11 minutes

portion: approx. 20 cookies

---

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups (215g) all-purpose flour (550 flour), spooned and levelled

1.5 cups (110g) butter, melted but not hot

1/2 cup (95g) packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (120g) sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp baking soda

200g 65-85% dark chocolate (approx. 2 chocolate bars), roughly chopped

coarse himalayan salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients together: flour, salt and baking soda. Set it aside.

2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine both sugars and mix using a hand or stand mixer. Pour in the melted butter and mix until it is well incorporated.

3. Add egg and egg yolk and mix on medium speed until everything is mixed together. Then add the vanilla extract and mix well.

4. Add in the dry ingredients that you set aside and mix until it is all mixed together into a cookie dough.

5. Add the roughly chopped dark chocolate and using a spatula mix until the chocolate pieces are evenly incorporated with the cookie dough. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place cookie dough into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can also make this dough the night before.

6. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and make into golf-ball sized cookie dough balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on a baking tray with parchment paper. The cookies will spread a lot so make sure you give enough spaces between each dough ball. You want the dough to be cold before it reaches into the oven so place the bowl of cookie dough back into the fridge when you are baking.

7. Place your baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes. The key secret to bake this flattened cookie is this step called the ‘pan-bang method’: while it is baking, take the baking tray out of the oven every 3-4 minutes and you drop the pan onto the counter top (approx. 10-15cm above the counter) then you place it back into the oven. Per batch, you will do the ‘pan-bang’ method 3 times; 2 times while it is baking and 1 last time after it finishes baking. Sprinkle a pinch of coarse salt (optional).

8. Let it cool on the baking tray for about 15 minutes then place it onto a cooling rack. If it is too soft to transfer onto the rack, then just let it cool again for additional 15 minutes.