Ultrathin chocolate chunk cookies
I enjoy government functions like I enjoy getting kicked in the nuggets with a steel toed boot. But this hotel always served bacon wrapped shrimp. That’s my number one favorite food wrapped around my number three favorite food.
— Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation.
Two full days of gloom and rain has left me no choice but to give myself guilt-free permission to do nothing more strenuous than curl up on the couch for a whole afternoon, watching Parks and Recreation, and contemplating life’s big questions. Such as, can man live on cookies alone. And if so, why so many of us sing the praises of chubby, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies when the wider family of chocolate cookies has much more to offer.
I first encountered ultra thin chocolate cookies like these at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco. We’d bought a selection of baked treats, which due to a prior visit to Humphrey Slocombe on the opposite side of the street, meant I only got a chance to devour much later in our hotel room (after walking off the excesses of the day).
A single bite of the ultra crisp, deeply chocolate cookie filled me with so much regret. Regret that I hadn’t bought more and that I wouldn’t have time to return to the bakery either.
With great thanks to Alice Medrich however, I stumbled upon this recipe several months ago and am happy to report that the end result very closely resembles the magical cookie I first tasted. These crispy chocolate chunk cookies are my number one favourite food encased in my number one favourite texture. Worth every last shattered crumb and chocolate smear that may displease the couch you’re curled up on.
Ultrathin Chocolate Chunk Cookies :
(recipe from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy by Alice Medrich)
6 ounces/170g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 sticks/140g unsalted butter, melted
1.5 ounces/42g quick rolled oats
3.5 ounces/95g granulated sugar
1.75 ounce/50g dark brown sugar
2 ounces/55g light corn syrup
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces/200g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
Combine the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oats, sugars, corn syrup, milk, and salt. Mix in the flour mixture. If the batter is warm from the butter, let it cool before adding the chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chunks. If possible, let the dough rest for at least several hours at room temperature or (better still) overnight in the fridge. The rest makes for an especially crisp and extra-flavourful cookie!
Preheat the oven to 325’F/160’C. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. Lay out 3 sheets of aluminium foil, cut to fit your cookie sheets, on the counter. Arrange 5 pieces of dough well apart on each sheet of foil, remembering that the cookies will spread to 5 inches. Flatten each piece of dough until it is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Slide two of the sheets onto baking sheets.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cookies are thin and very brown. If they are too pale, they will not be crisp. Rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Slide the foil with cookies onto racks to cool completely before removing the cookies from the foil. Repeat with the third batch – you can even slide the next foil and cookie dough onto a hot baking sheet as long as you put the pan in the oven immediately. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an airtight container for at least 3 days.
Tags: Alice Medrich, chocolate, cookies, oatmeal
Hannah said,
September 26, 2011 @ 2:28 pm
Oh, Parks and Recreation! How I adore that show. (Almost as much as I adore chocolate.)
“I think it’s a little weird that nobody wants to admit that they shot Ron in the head.” – Leslie
Laura said,
September 26, 2011 @ 2:28 pm
It must be all the butter and the corn syrup right? They look so tasty, I will have to try them. We had a super gloomy day too but somehow didn’t get to bake anything, too bad!
Rosa said,
September 26, 2011 @ 3:39 pm
Those are interesting! They must be deliciously crispy.
Cheers,
Rosa
thelittleloaf said,
September 26, 2011 @ 5:25 pm
I normally like my cookies thick and chunky, but these paper thin crispy crunchy treats look pretty awesome. Definitely want to try, although can imagine they are incredibly moreish 🙂
Howard said,
September 26, 2011 @ 5:56 pm
Somehow missed these when we were at Tartine in June. My equivalent indulgent meal during the rainy weekend was bacon and egg tacos.
Caitlin said,
September 26, 2011 @ 9:33 pm
I’m 100% a chewy cookie lover, but you may have convinced me to at least try out some new textures when baking. Especially since I won’t be getting to Tartine anytime soon 🙂
Tori (@eat-tori) said,
September 27, 2011 @ 3:05 am
Oh, I remember those cookies- they are outstanding. If only I could contrive a way to get hold of the salted caramel ice cream from Buy-Rite across the way- I think that could be the ultimate ice cream sandwich…..
sara said,
September 27, 2011 @ 4:36 am
Yum, these look awesome! 🙂
shaz said,
September 27, 2011 @ 9:44 am
Thin and crispy means I can eat a whole lot more right? Yum! I so know what you mean about regret, just returned from holidays and I regret not eating more of so many things (many of these were from the fabulous NY list you posted a while back).
OohLookBel said,
September 27, 2011 @ 3:17 pm
It’s definitely time for thin and crispy – cookies, not pizza – to take the limelight. These look brilliant!
jas (gluten free scallywag) said,
September 27, 2011 @ 6:38 pm
oh yum! They look like almond thins or thin biscotti without the double baking effort – can’t wait to try them, they will dissolve in my mouth – nom nom nom.
InTolerantChef said,
September 28, 2011 @ 5:04 pm
What a nice change from the soft, fat ones. Yumm…
Heather said,
September 29, 2011 @ 7:14 am
Those look so tasty!
Amanda said,
September 29, 2011 @ 10:59 pm
A stupid question, but is corn syrup interchangeable with glucose syrup? I thought I read that the glucose was extracted from corn. Also, do you think it would ruin the texture if the corn syrup was left out altogether? Nice to see you blogging regularly again y!
Y said,
September 30, 2011 @ 9:11 am
Hi Amanda, I’m not sure I’ve ever tried using it interchangeably. Perhaps you could try honey or maple syrup as a substitute?
paul li said,
September 30, 2011 @ 12:57 pm
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, so I have no doubt this cake would also top the list! Yum!
grace said,
October 1, 2011 @ 3:49 am
great quote from a great character portrayed by a great actor on a great show in a post about a great cookie. 🙂
Su-yin said,
October 7, 2011 @ 12:50 am
I’ve never heard of crispy chocolate chip cookies, but I love the idea. Mostly because I can fool myself into thinking they’re ‘healthier’ as they’re thinner. 😉
Nicholas Kasimatis said,
November 16, 2011 @ 5:38 pm
I really love the casual elegance in your photography. Of course you rest a cookie on your coffee mug!