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Best Darn Chocolate Chip Cookies Contest Winners
These three cookie recipes won the 2006 contest held by COPIA,
the American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa, CA. They
were chosen from 160 recipes submitted. (Click
here to see the article.)
First Place
Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Chaim B. Potter of Napa, CA
These delicious cookies almost melt in your
mouth. The flavor and scent is reminiscent of warm Mexican hot
chocolate. And the rich chocolate stays gooey long after they
cool, if they last that long.
Makes approximately 3 dozen
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 pound coarsely chopped good quality dark chocolate
1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder,
cinnamon, baking soda, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
In a small heatproof bowl set over a small
saucepan of simmering water, melt the coarsely chopped chocolate
with the butter. Let cool slightly.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted
with a paddle attachment, combine the melted chocolate mixture
with the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until
combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add the flour
mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Line a 17-by-12-inch cookie sheet with
parchment. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop the cookie
dough onto the paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies
for about 15 minutes, until they look flat and the surfaces
crack (cookies should still be soft in texture). Let the cookies
cool on the parchment on wire cooling racks. Store at room
temperature for up to 3 days.
Second Place
Brother and Sister Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Celeste “C. B.” Wiser of Napa, California
“These are special because Brother likes
semi-sweet chips, Sister like white chocolate, and I like the
rich vanilla taste,” says Wiser.
Makes 54 cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking
soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter,
sugar, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat in the eggs.
Gradually add the flour mixture; mix well. Stir in both types of
chips.
Drop spoonfuls onto ungreased standard size
(14-by-16- or 17-inch) cookie sheets lined with parchment. Bake
10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. Remove from
the oven and cool on wire racks.
Third Place and People’s Choice
All Grown-Up Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Paige Isbutt of Folsom, CA
This is a chocolate chip cookie for
grown-ups. The slight bitterness of the chocolate and espresso
combine with the caramel sweet flavors of the golden syrup and
the malted milk powder create a cookie with a complex flavor
that is not too sweet and has a strong chocolate punch.
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room
temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup (preferably Lyle’s)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup malted milk powder (preferably Carnation)
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur unbleached)
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 pound bittersweet chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli 60%
Bittersweet Baking Chips)
Place a rack in the center of the oven and
preheat to 375°F. Line cookie sheets (not air cushion style)
with parchment.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter,
brown sugar, granulated sugar and golden syrup. Beat in the egg,
vanilla, malted milk powder and espresso powder. Add the flour,
salt, baking powder and baking soda; stir until thoroughly
combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons (I
use a #40 ice cream scoop) 3 inches apart onto prepared cookie
sheets. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until golden brown at the
edges; the center will appear slightly undercooked. Transfer
entire sheet of baked cookies to a wire cooling rack. Cool for
at least 10 minutes before removing the cookies from the
parchment. |
