When I move to a new living space, everything is unfamiliar. Duh.
I walk into the closet instead of the bathroom. I reach for the dishwasher when I should be checking on the cookies in the oven. I stub my toes on the coffee table… a lot. The sound of the mailman dropping letters in the box is startling.
Soon enough… all of these new home quirks will settle and disappear.
I thought the best way to counteract the newness was to fill my new home with the smell of something entirely familiar: chocolate chip cookies.
It worked. I only stubbed my toe on the coffee table twice instead of thrice.
Ps…. Maybe this entire post was just an excuse to work the word ‘thrice’ onto my blog. Hmmm… think on that.
By now you probably know that I can’t leave well enough alone.
I wouldn’t just make plain old chocolate chip cookies and dump them in your lap.
See, I’m calling these Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies because I’ve made my own brown sugar and added a good, hearty load of dark, unsulphured molasses. It’s sexy. Seriously.
I also used melted butter (instead of the traditional softened butter) and bread flour (instead of all-purpose flour). This combination comes from Alton Brown. He knows a thing or two. The higher gluten content in bread flour helps keep the cookie in control. Buuuut… the loads of molasses keep this cookie well browned and fairly flat. Keep that in mind. These flat cookies.are.delicious.
Intermission…
I found this photo during my move last week. It was taken by my father in 1982. It seems to be the very beginning of food blogging.
End Intermission.
These slender little cookies bring loads of flavor. They’re deep. They’re caramely. They’re packed with dark chocolate chunks and topped with just a sprinkling of sea salt. What more do you want? Yeesh.
In the background there is my front door. I’ll give you the home (and kitchen) tour soon.
Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes 3 dozen cookies
recipe adapted from Alton Brown
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon dark molasses, not blackstrap
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies just before baking
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, mix the granulated sugar and molasses until no large molasses clumps remain. Look at that! You just made your own brown sugar!
Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the homemade brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough for about 20 minutes, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with a few flecks of sea salt. It really brings out the chocolate flavor.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. I like these cookies to be just a bit under-done. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
marija
made these today and even though I had no bread flower and no molasses they came out great….not sure why but I added 1 super ripe mashed banana. oh and wasn’t sure about sprinkling sea salt over them, but make no mistake it really makes the cookie.
dana
hello
i am trying to alter a recipe that is actually a healthier cookie I found from whole living-not that it is what anyone really wants is a healthier cookie-but at least I can put it in my daughter’s lunch and feel that it is worth something else good besides being tasty. they actually taste really great and have whole oats in them, some whole grain flour, almonds and no butter-just canola oil. I tried grape seed oil which seemed to work but not sure what it does to a cookie. so anyway, I want to make it a bit chewier and flatter and this recipe has inspired me. I am going to add an egg yolk, add a T of milk, melt the butter and let it cool a bit and then the question is the sugar. this recipe has brown rice syrup but I use maple syrup and it also has sugar in it and no brown sugar. I am wondering if I should replace the granulated sugar with brown sugar OR actually use healthier raw sugar and add this molasses? any ideas?
1 cup whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
1/2 cup oat flour, spooned and leveled USED OATS.
1 teaspoon baking soda.
1/2 teaspoon salt.
1/2 cup canola oil USED GRAPE SEED.
1/2 cup brown-rice syrup USED MAPLE SYRUP.
1/2 cup granulated sugar.
1 large egg.
1 tablespoon water.
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 percent cacao), coarsely chopped.
1 cup natural almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped.