cookies

Before moving to America, I thought chocolate chip cookies always contained nuts (because its in the recipe!) I made a batch of cookies for a party I went to shortly after I moved to New York, and everybody was surprised that I put walnuts in them. Thats when I realized the cookies I had been making countless times growing up were pretty different to what Americans are used to. There are no “chocolate chips” in France, those neat little piped drops of cheap chocolate, so I always just chopped bars of baking chocolate, which is better because it has irregular sizes, giving you different textures of chocolate, and it stays meltingly soft instead of hardening. I experimented using oil instead of butter years ago because it was easier and cheaper, and water instead of egg because I once ran out of eggs, and preferred the texture. I highly recommend using the coconut sugar (also known as palm sugar) because it has an amazingly complex caramel butterscotch flavor unlike any other sugar, but brown sugar will work too if thats all you have. And if you only have white sugar, just add a little glug of molasses. I recently have been using powdered sugar instead of granulated because it makes a cookie with a finer, less grainy texture. I still feel the ubiquitous chocolate chip cookie is better if it has something nutty and toasty in it, so do try it with walnuts or any nut or seed of your choice, lightly toasted first. 

If you want to use butter instead of the oil, use one stick (114g) cook on medium heat until browned and toasted, stirring constantly to help the water evaporate. and let it cool down before using.

Makes about 12 cookies

114g butter, melted and browned (see note) or 90g oil (neutral oil such as canola, sunflower, or refined coconut oil)

60g coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

60g white sugar (preferably powdered sugar)

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla (preferably artificial)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

165g flour

100g chocolate, chopped (any percentage will work, but I like 72 percent)

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)

Mix the oil, sugars, water, vanilla, salt and baking soda in a bowl.

Add the flour, stir until combined.

Add the chocolate and stir well.

Using two spoons, scoop little mounds on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or baking mat. 

You should get about 12 medium size cookies, but you might get less if you want to make larger cookies. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and it starts to brown around the edge.

Variations

There are countless ways to make this your own with all the different mix-ins and flavorings. 

Here are two a little unusual ones that I particularly like:

-Add a teaspoon of Chinese sesame paste (this is different than tahini) for a deeply toasty flavor (delicious)

-replace the salt and one of the tablespoons of water with one tablespoon soy sauce. This may seem strange, but it won’t taste like soy sauce, it will just give you incredible depth and savoriness that enhance the butterscotch flavor.

Substitutions

you can replace the brown sugar with withe sugar and a glug (10g) of molasses.