Ménage à Trois Cookies

(from A Baker’s Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies)

Image by Dennis Gottlieb; food styling by Liz Duffy

(The following paragraph is an addendum to the original recipe  as it appeared in A Baker’s Field Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies. Look at this picture below.

While I did not enhance these cookies with milk or white chocolate chunks – the ones in the photo are made with all dark chocolate – I am sure you can see that there is a difference between the ones on the left and the ones on the right. The ones on the left were made with the recommended chocolates, specifically, the chocolate that is melted within the recipe did not exceed 55% cacao. The result is as desired: a creamy, truffle-like cookie. In a fit of believing more is better, I made a batch with high cacao mass chocolates and those are on the right. Crumbly, drier, no creaminess, no truffle-esque texture. Not nearly as appetizing! For this recipe, you can Fold In the higher percentage chocolates, but do NOT use them for the cookie batter itself.)

Type: Drop cookie

Description: These creamy, truffle-like, dark chocolate cookies are best eaten within a day or two when their texture is at their best. They are packed with white, milk and dark chocolate chunks, hence their name. These are the ultimate chocolate cookie and give you as much of a buzz as a small cup of coffee.

Field Notes: These are, indeed, a cookie version of a truffle. They are creamy, if at their best. This is why it is so important to not bake them too long. My friend Tom Bishop enthusiastically declared “I have never had a chocolate chip cookie melt in my mouth!” That is as it should be.

Special Characteristics: Quick to make

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (such as Valrhona Equitoriale 55% or Callebaut)

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped (such as Valrhona, Callebaut or Scharffen Berger 99%)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into tablespoons-sized pieces

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks (1/2-inch size. I recommend Valrhona Equitoriale 55%, Caraque 56%, or Manjara 64%; or Scharffen Berger or Callebaut semisweet)

3/4 cup milk chocolate chunks (1/2-inch size. I recommend Valrhona Jivara or Callebaut)

3/4 cup white chocolate chunks (1/2-inch size. I recommend Valrhona Ivoire or Callebaut)

 

1. Position racks in lower third and upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.

3. Melt semisweet (not more than 55% cacao) and unsweetened chocolates together with butter in top of double boiler or microwave. Stir occasionally until smooth. Cool slightly to a warm room temperature.

4. Place sugar, eggs and vanilla in mixer’s bowl and beat on high-speed using balloon whip attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 5 minutes. Gently fold in the chocolate/butter mixture until no chocolate streaks remain. Fold the flour mixture into the batter until just combined.

5. Toss all of the chocolate chunks together in a bowl and remove about one-quarter of them and reserve. Fold the larger portion of the chocolate chunks into the batter. Drop by generously rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Take reserved chocolate chunks and press at least one of each type onto each cookie top, so that they will show off the white/milk/dark chocolate trio when baked.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until tops look and feel dry but the insides are still soft and creamy. The edges will be slightly firmer than the rest of the cookies. They firm up tremendously upon cooling; do not over bake. Place pans on racks to cool cookies for 1 minute, then slide parchments directly to racks for cookies to cool completely. Make sure these cookies stay flat while cooling. They are delicate while warm.

Lifespan: 2 days at room temperature in airtight container in single layers separated by waxed (or parchment) paper

Yield: 28 cookies

Good Cookie Tip: These are delicate. Make sure to store them in single layers and keep the layers flat! They will keep longer than 2 days, but the texture will be less creamy and become more crumbly.