Cooking Lesson #321: The Chocolate Doctor’s Best Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

…from the California & Choclatique Kitchens

How you doin’? When you own a chocolate company and writing a new chocolate cookbook you have to create a lot of cookie recipes (and taste them all). I designed a cookie program for Choclatique. I used this basic cookie dough for several other flavors, like oatmeal-raisin and cranberry-nut. We also used the dough for a pre-baked crust for a chocolate chip brownie pie. 
 
The 48 cookies in this recipe contain over 2 pounds of chocolate and over a pound of butter. The flour just barely holds it all together and the ground oats are my ode to healthy snacking. These cookies are over-the-top decadent. Pace yourself—one cookie a day will do you.
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Cool time:  30 minutes
Bake time:  15 to 17 minutes
Cool time:  20 minutes
Yield: 48 2-1/2-inch cookies
 
Ingredients
18 ounces (4 sticks, plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pastry or cake flour
2 cups 1-minute oatmeal (processed into powder)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 tablespoon baking soda
1-1/2 pounds (3 cups) dark chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard Dark Chocolate)
1/2 pound grated or chopped good quality dark chocolate (64% to 70% cacao)
3 cups roasted and chopped pecans
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
 
Directions

1. Prepare 2 sheet pans with Silpat liners or parchment paper. 
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a mixing paddle, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, continuing to mix.
4. Add the all-purpose and pastry flours along with the processed oatmeal.  (This should be done in small amounts to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.) 
5. Add the salt, baking powder and soda. 
6. Mix the cookie dough together with the chocolate chips and grated chocolate.
7. Lastly, add the roasted nuts and mix.
8. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. 
9. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
10. Scoop golf ball size cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and push them down a little bit to slightly flatten.
11. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes rotating the pans at the half way mark.
12. Remove from the oven and let the sheet pans cool on racks.
13. Transfer cookies on to cooling rack to cool completely.

ChefSecret:  Chilling the dough before baking prevents the cookie dough from spreading out too much when baking.

Quip of the Day: “What did one butt cheek say to the other? Together we can stop this crap.”
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