This recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies is one of my favorites. Over the years I've found plenty more good ones, but I still like this one because it's fairly easy to throw together when you have some bittersweet (60%) chocolate bars or bittersweet chips around. It makes a really soft, fudge-y chocolate chip cookie.
Because there's so little flour in the recipe, you have to follow the directions carefully and in most cases chill the batter just to get it to the point where it's scoopable. This may vary depending on what brand/type of chocolate you use (melted chips will give you a thicker batter, whereas melted bars are thinner), but in most cases you'll need to chill the batter, scoop up the chunks,and then if you like a nicely shaped cookie, roll the chunks into tight balls and chill them even longer.
Here's an old picture of the Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies from when I made them slightly larger and didn't chill the dough until thick. I really prefer the updated, smaller version these days. I also prefer the updated photo. My photography skills are just as bad, but cameras have improved (thank goodness). I like to leave the old photos around as a testament to that.
Recipe
Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped (230 grams)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 85 grams
- ⅓ cup flour 45 grams
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 10 grams
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar 96 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place chocolate and butter in microwave and melt on high for 1 ½ minutes, stopping every 30 seconds to stir. Allow chocolate to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until pale yellow and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture until blended, then stir in the flour mixture.
- If mixture is still slightly warm and too loose to scoop (which it probably will be), put it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to cool and thicken. I almost always have to do this.
- When mixture is cool and just thick enough to scoop, stir in the chocolate chips or chunks.
- Drop dough onto a foil-lined plate or tray using rounded tablespoons. You should get about 18. Chill the shaped mounds until they are a bit firmer, then roll them into tight balls. Chill until ready to bake.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with two layers of regular or heavy duty (not non-stick) foil. You may use a Silpat or parchment, but the cookies may spread more.
- Set the cold balls of dough on the foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes until cookies are set. Let cool directly on the foil lined baking sheet. Carefully remove from foil or transfer the sheet of foil with the cookies still stuck on it to a freezer and let them firm up before you peel them off.
- Once set, these are delicious, soft and fudgy cookies.
Anna says
Hi Anonymous!Thanks for stopping by. Your perspective is appreciated and I thank you for your comments. You add kindling to my fire, but in a good way.My take on Sandra Lee is that she motivates people who otherwise HATE cooking to get in the kitchen and at least "assemble" something. A few people I know have been so proud of their Sandra Lee creations that they've moved on to bigger and better things. Frankly, I don't use many of her recipes but I admire her and Anne Byrne for teaching folks to "doctor" when they don't have time to cook and clean up a huge mess. Besides, I've met Tony Bourdain and Rick Bayless. Now I need to balance things out :).
s'kat says
I am truly honoured, Anna, thanks for giving them a whirl!
Anna says
The original contest was a called "Taste The Riches" and it was co-sponsored by Gourmet Magazine. All entries had to be mailed in and accompanied by a proof of purchase. My entry was a hazelnut swirl cheesecake which I tested on some friends from eGullet. There was a huge lagtime between the time of entry and the time they announced the winners, so when I recieved the congratulatory call, I was stunned. I thought surely the contest was over. Shortly thereafter I received a check for $2,500, a 3 year subscription to Gourmet, a Gourmet Magazine apron and a platter shaped like a fish (very random). I spent some of the money on a leather chair I'd been eyeing, then put the rest in the bank.
Anonymous says
What was your previous winning recipe?
Anonymous says
Good luck in the Kraft/Philadelphia contest! I enjoy your blog, but what do you do with all the tasty things you bake? I love to bake but have no willpower, so I don't do it as often as I would like . . . or I would be 200 pounds!
Anna says
Most of what I bake goes to my husband's co-workers and my neighbors. They're great critics and appreciate the homemade snacks. But honestly, I'm still looking for new places to donate goodies. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!