Salted Almond Dark Chocolate Cookies
/Inspired by the great Levain-bakery double chocolate chip cookie recipe, these giant dark chocolate cookies are thick and rich, filled with almonds and topped with flaked salt.
Is there anything better than a warm, gooey dark chocolate cookie coming straight from the oven? I think not. I’ve spoken about my love for the Levain bakery cookie before, so when a client asked me to develop a similar-styled cookie a few months ago, I jumped at the chance. You can never have too many cookies filled with too much chocolate. And since I’m currently writing this post from under a mountain of blankets on the couch, recovering from my second dose of the COVID vaccine, I’m in the perfect mood for warm dark chocolate cookies. Luckily, I still have some tucked away in my freezer.
let’s talk about the dark chocolate cookies
This is a very basic creaming-method recipe that features a few extra super-star ingredients to help the cookies achieve their signature thick and fudgey texture. First, we are going to use cold butter instead of the traditional room temperature butter. I like the way that cold butter holds it’s shape a bit longer in the oven and it helps to create a cookie that is a bit denser. I also added an extra egg yolk for a bit more fat, which gives the cookie a really nice chewiness. Cornstarch is added to the dry ingredients, along with dutched-processed cocoa powder. Then, chopped Salted Almond Chocolate and a handful of almonds is added to the dough before the dough is chilled. If you can’t find a salted almond chocolate bar, you can substitute it with another high-quality dark chocolate bar and toss in a few extra almonds. Cookies are scooped into giant mounds, baked, and then should cool completely on the baking sheet before you devour them with a large glass of milk.
do I really need to chill my cookie dough?
A lot of cookie recipes call for the dough to be chilled before baking, a step that seems to be a bit of a hassle but really makes a difference in the quality of a cookie. Chilling allows for a few things to happen that will help you to achieve your desired end result.
Butter is able to re-solidify, which will result in thicker cookies with less spread. Cold butter will take more time to melt in the oven, meaning that your cookies won’t spread out into giant dough puddles.
Hydration happens. A brief chill in the fridge before baking will allow for the flours and starches in the dough to properly absorb the liquid. This will give you a more moist cookie.
Flavors develop! Giving flavors a bit of time to meld in the fridge is key for delicious cookies.
Now, I’m a real person who regularly gets cookie cravings and I know that sometimes chilling isn’t always the most accessible activity. Giving your dough even 30 minutes in the fridge before baking will make a difference. For most cookie doughs, I recommend scooping your cookies immediately after mixing and snuggling them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and let chill for as long as you have (30 minutes is a good place to start). If you need to bake a few because you just can’t wait, pull out a couple after a quick chill and bake them off, leaving the rest of the cookie dough to continue its refrigerator rest. You can even transfer the cold dough balls to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer, baking them as needed so you always have warm fresh cookies on hand.
P.S. For more baking tips and instruction, make sure you check out my e-book, Pastry Foundations.
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Salted Almond Dark Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 1/4 cup (265 g) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (42 g) dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 cup (120 g) cake flour
- 1 1/2 cup (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 225 g (3 bars) Beyond Good Salted Almond Chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- Flaky salt, for finishing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, all purpose flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the egg yolk and the vanilla extract. When all of the eggs are completely mixed in, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing until just-combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Add the chopped chocolate and chopped almonds, and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, until evenly dispersed. Scoop cookies into 4 oz chunks and gently rolls into balls. Place cookie dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill the cookies for at least 30 minutes, and up to 12 hours.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 415° F. Space cookies out onto parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving at least 2” between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are dry to the touch and the edges of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flaky salt and let cookies cool completely on the tray.
Notes:
I created this recipe using Beyond Good Salted Almond Dark Chocolate, which you can buy here. If you are unable to find this particular chocolate, you can substitute another, high-quality dark chocolate bar in its place.
