May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day, so to celebrate (albeit a few days late!) here's a recipe for chewy Mexican Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cookies. I used Molina brand for this batch, but any brand of vanilla will work.
Cookie Texture
These cookies have what I like to describe as a dense and chewy texture. The extra brown sugar makes them chewy, while the egg yolk helps keep them tender without being cakey. The amount of butter is just right. If you attempt to brown it you'll lose moisture and it will change the texture of the cookie, so I don't recommend browning the butter for this recipe.
Molina and Other Mexican Vanilla Brands
I originally made these while on a Mexican vanilla kick. Before trying the Molina, I'd already tried a few others including Nielsen Massey, Blue Cattle Truck (which is very light and pleasant) and Danncy, which is a pretty intense vanilla and reminds me of the kind friends bring home from Mexico. Molina was my most recent purchase. It's lighter and not as full flavored as Blue Cattle Truck, but it smells wonderful and is not as expensive. After I bought it and started using it, I searched the Internet for other reviews and saw that others liked it too.
National Chocolate Chip Day
By the way, May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day, not National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. So May 15 is for celebrating anything with chocolate chips, while the day designated especially for chocolate chip cookies is actually August 4. So make some chocolate chip cookies if you like, or use those chips in something else.
Recipe
Molina Mexican Vanilla Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons AP flour (10.5 oz/290 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup organic cane sugar or granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla your favorite brand (I use Molina)
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips Ghirardelli
Instructions
- Melt half of the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the remaining cut up butter to the hot melted butter and stir until completely melted. Let cool. Alternatively, you can melt the butter all at once and let it cool, but melting half of it and adding the remaining butter helps it cool faster.
- Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cooled melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk and Mexican vanilla and whisk just until blended.
- Add the flour mixture and stir to make a soft dough. Stir in bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Using a heaping tablespoon, scoop up about 24 balls of dough and arrange them on two plates or one tray lined with wax, foil or parchment paper. Cover loosely and chill for several hours or until the dough balls are firm. When firm, you can bake as directed or put them in a freezer bag and freeze your individual balls of dough.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Arrange about half of the balls on one foil or parchment lined baking sheet spacing about 2 ½ inches apart. Set on the middle rack and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until cookies appear set and start to crack.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for about five minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
I remember the first time I ever baked with Mexican vanilla. Immediate obsession, which eventually turned into my love for making homemade vanilla extract.
Sue says
I've been craving chocolate chip cookies. But also have ranger cookies on the brain. We don't have many Mexican style vanillas here. The one time I had some I recall being disappointed in it. It seemed kind of watery. No doubt you have more interesting options in TX.
Christine from Cook the Story says
That vanilla sounds delicious!