Hello Bakers,
It is my week off of chemo and I am doing well. I wanted to use this time to get caught up with you - I have missed you bakers… Thank you so much for the outpouring of well wishes and support. ! am so grateful.
Chocolate…
In my on ground classes, I am often asked about chocolate - and what is the best chocolate to buy.
Of course, it all depends on what you are making - there is a lot to cover so let’s break it down by type.
Today, let’s discuss chocolate chips.
Chocolate chips are designed to be melt resistant. Ideally, they hold up in cookies, muffins and scones just enough to be soft when you bite into the product but not so liquified that a crater forms where the chocolate chip was sitting.
Chocolate companies do this by eliminating or reducing cocoa butter in the chocolate. Sometimes, cocoa butter is replaced by palm kernel oil and other stabilizers. That’s why if you have tried to melt chips and ended up with a sludgy mess - that’s why - the extra lovely, at body temperature melting, cocoa butter is gone.
Now we really don’t want our chips to melt out. But we do want to use a delicious chip. Not all chips are created equal. Lately, I have been using Guittard 63% chocolate chips quite a bit. Why? You might ask because I like the fact that there list the type of cocoa bean used, Trinitario, Forastero and that it is a fair trade, non GMO chocolate. They also use real vanilla - if you see vanillin on any label - that is fake vanilla in there. The lecithin (it’s a natural emulsifier) used is derived from sunflowers instead of soy, also gluten and peanut free.
My runners up are Ghiradelli 60% and Trader Joes chocolate chips.
Lecture is over - it’s time to bake.
As I this cancer scare has made me look hard on my own mortality - I realize that they are recipes that I have to make sure stay alive. The following recipe is from legendary baker Albert Kumin. He was simply the best. I had the privilege of taking a 3 week class with him years ago. His students went on to pastry greatness. To learn more about him - the Times did a fine job writing about him
His most famous protegee is Nick Malgieri, author of many books. His “Perfect Pastry” is my favorite. He shares Chef Albert’s lemon tart in that book and it is amazing. I should do a blog post on it - lemon lovers its so good! I am sorry, I digress. Here is Chef Albert’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It was the first thing we made in his class - it was how he assessed us as bakers.
All chocolate chip recipes are very similar - this one is just classic. I hope you get to give them a try. Perfect to tuck into a lunchbox or bake for a bake sale.
It’s good to be back. XO Happy Baking! Colette
Chocolate Chip Cookies - Albert Kumin Variation with 63% cacao chips
Yield: 36 small cookies (#40 purple scoop, .80 ounce) or 24 cookies (#24 red scoop, 1.33 ounces). I love Vollrath color coded scoops. They last a long time.
Equipment
Two half sheet pans lined with parchment paper (have additional half sheet pan available for double panning)
Stand or handheld mixer
Spatula
Sifter/strainer
#40 purple scoop for small cookies or #24 red scoop for medium cookies (a tablespoon can also be used to shape cookies)
Ingredients
Chocolate chip cookie mise en place
1 cup (8 ounces/227 g) unsalted butter
3⁄4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (6 ounces/170 g) granulated sugar
½ cup + 2 Tablespoons (4 ounces/113 g) packed light brown sugar
1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs (3.42 ounces/97 g) beat lightly to combine yolk and white
2 ⅛ cups (10 ounces/283 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (9 ounces/255 g) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (4 ounces/113 g) toasted chopped walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts, toasted (optional)
1. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Have an additional pan ready for double panning.
2. Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars on low speed for 30 seconds until combined, add vanilla extract and increase speed to medium and mix until mixture is smooth - 2 minutes. The mixture should not lighten in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a spatula.
4. With the mixer off, add the lightly mixed eggs, starting on low speed and then increase the speed to medium - mix until combined about 45 seconds, sometimes I turn the mixer up to medium high in the last 10 seconds just to smooth things out.
Creamed butter, sugar and vanilla - eggs, lightly beaten on standby
5. In a separate bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper sift the dry ingredients.
6. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture on low speed mixing only until the flour disappears.
7. Add the chips and optional nuts only until they are mixed – do not over mix. They can be mixed in by hand as well.
8. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for one hour minimum.
9. Scoop onto parchment lined pan as shown on video. A tablespoon can also be used to portion cookies.
10. Bake the cookies. Start checking them at 12 minutes. If the cookie bottoms are overbrowning, double pan them. Continue to bake. Check in 3-4 minute intervals. The cookies are done when they are a light golden brown on the edges. The center should still be light but not wet.
11. Let cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
12. Store the cookies in an airtight container. Cookies will keep several days. They will be crisper as they sit. To keep them soft, place a slice of apple or a ceramic brown sugar keeper in the container. They also freeze, well wrapped, for 1 month.
1. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper. Have an additional pan ready for double panning.
2. Position the rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter and both sugars on low speed for 30 seconds until combined, add vanilla extract and increase speed to medium and mix until the mixture is smooth (about 2 minutes). The mixture should not lighten in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle with a spatula.
4. With the mixer off, add the eggs one at a time, starting on low speed and then increase the speed to medium, mixing well after each addition. When the mixture changes from shiny to dull looking (about 45 seconds of mixing), add the next egg. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. In a separate bowl or on a sheet of parchment paper sift together the dry ingredients.
6. Add the 1/2 dry ingredients to the egg mixture on low speed mixing until the flour disappears. Do not over mix. Scrape down quickly and add the second half of the dry ingredients, mix until combined.
7. Add the chips and optional nuts only until they are mixed – do not over mix. They can be mixed in by hand as well.
8. Scoop onto parchment lined tray - they will spread so make sure there is room between. With the larger scoop, I get 10 on a half sheet tray and 15 of the smaller size.
9. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Cookie dough can be frozen for up to one month. Scoop it first to save time. Once the cookie dough is frozen - it can be stored in a zip loc bag.
10. Bake the cookies. Start checking them at 12 minutes. If the cookie bottoms are over browning, double pan them. Continue to bake. Check in 3-4 minute intervals. The cookies are done when they are a light golden brown on the edges. The center should still be light but not wet.
11. Let cool on the pan for 3-4 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
12. Store the cookies in an airtight container. Cookies will keep for a several days. They will be crisper as they sit. To retain moisture, store with a slice of apple or one of those ceramic brown sugar bears. Cookies freeze, well wrapped, for up to one month.