I think it was Ben & Jerry who first said “a chunk isn’t a chunk unless it’s a chunk”.
This is an indisputable truth, and it applies to these Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies which, coincidentally, are adapted from a recipe by the same wonderful, ice cream obsessed guys.
My recipe is a tiny bit chewier, and a whole lot chocolatier. Because salted everything is better than unsalted anything, these chocolate chunk cookies have a sprinkling of coarse sea salt which only serves to enhance the chocolate and the general buttery deliciousness going on with these treats. There’s also a judicious amount of walnuts in there, adding a toasty crunch. You should use the best chocolate you can get for these cookies, because the way proper chocolate melts into the cookies as they bake is a sight to behold, and eating a warm melty chocolate chunk cookie is one of life’s true indulgences.
They are killer cookies to make into ice cream sandwiches. I just ate one, and now I am regretting not photographing it for this post. The problem with a Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookie is that when you bring it together with a cookie friend and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, your attention becomes all tunnel visioned. There is the sandwich, and your tummy, and only one thing to do. But a picture is necessary, so…
I’m not saying whether I ate this one as well.
Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
makes 18
ingredients
125g salted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
200g dark chocolate, chopped into 1-1.5 cm chunks (I used 70% cocoa Lindt Smooth Blend which is particularly wonderful)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Coarse ground sea salt for topping
mixing
beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, chocolate and walnuts and mix with a wooden spoon until all combined. Take golf ball sized lumps of the mixture and roll into balls. Place on a bake paper lined tray, leaving about 6cm between the cookies for spreading.
Press down lightly with the flats of your fingers. Sprinkle liberally with the sea salt.
Bake for about 15 minutes until golden on the edges but still soft in the middle. Sprinkle more sea salt on the cookies while still hot. Cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!xxx
