COPIA Food Contest
COPIA’S BEST DARN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CONTEST
Announced at Death by Chocolate, February 18, 2006
FIRST PLACE
Mexican Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
By Chaim B. Potter of Napa, California
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. They seem to disappear as fast as
you can pull them out of the oven!
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 paper. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the parchment 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.
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 paper. 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 combined 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. It tastes like the chocolate chip cookies we loved as children, only better.
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 paper.
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. Allow cookie sheets to cool to room temperature before re-using.
