Chocolate chip cookies are one of those sweets for which people never tire of trying new recipes. This week, photographer Jennifer Martiné shares the recipe for her favorite Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Nib and Toasted Walnut Cookies Topped with Artisan Sea Salt. That was a mouthful! If you know “the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe,” spring it on us, but let us know why it’s better than the rest. And if you try Jennifer’s recipe, tell us how it stacks up! — Kristina
About Jennifer: Jennifer Martiné is a food and lifestyle photographer based in the San Francisco Bay area. She lives in Oakland, California, with her husband, Tyler, their one-year-old son, Quentin, and their dog, Miles. Her recent publications include Bryant Terry’s newest book, The Inspired Vegan, published by DaCapo. Her work is frequently seen in magazines such as Sunset and Food Arts. Click here to access her Bagna Cauda recipe in our archives.
Read Jennifer’s recipe and how she developed it after the jump!
The Genesis of My Cookie
This is my favorite version of a chocolate chip cookie because it’s not overly sweet and has a great crunch. The recipe is the result of my experimentation with a bunch of recipes. I loved the idea of toasting the walnuts, which I learned from 101 Cookbooks. I loved David Lebovitz’s Great Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Great Book of Chocolate. Then I experimented with cocoa nibs to see how that would taste . . . definitely yummy. Then awhile back I was lucky enough to shoot Salted by Mark Bitterman, and he had an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe with salt on it. Bingo! I added the salt on top, and it just made it all the more tasty. I love the Bali Rama salt crystals with their crazy pyramid shape; it adds such a lovely crunch.
Chocolate Chip, Cocoa Nib and Toasted Walnut Cookies Topped with Artisan Sea Salt
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 sticks organic unsalted butter
- 2 large organic eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
- 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups toasted chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup cocoa nibs
- sprinkled sea salt crystals on top (optional)
Preparation
1. Mix both sugars and butter until soft, and add eggs to the mixer one at a time. Then add vanilla, then baking soda and then salt while continuing to mix. Next, add the flour one cup at a time. Last, fold in the chocolate chips, walnuts and cocoa nibs.
2. Drop teaspoon-sized amounts of the dough onto a non-stick sheet pan, or even better, use a baking stone and top with a few sea salt crystals.
3. Bake at 325ºF for 15–18 min. or until the edges are browned or they reach your preferred doneness. I personally love them a bit overdone so they get crispy, almost candy-like. Serve with cold milk, a glass of pinot or port. — Enjoy!!!
Why Jennifer Loves This Recipe
I can fondly remember cookie making at grandma’s house being my favorite activity when I was a kid. She let me crack the eggs and help stir. I remember how fun it was to run the bowl over to my grandpa and ask for him to use his big strong arms to help me stir when it got too tough to mix completely. We didn’t have a stand mixer then. Thank goodness for today’s modern technology like our great Kitchen Aid mixers, but I still am fond of those old-fashioned hand mixing days.
Portrait by Michelle Warren Photography
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