May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, so to celebrate (albeit a few days late!) here’s a recipe for Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookies made with Molina Mexican Vanilla. You can, of course, use any vanilla.
That being said, I’m on a Mexican vanilla kick, and the best Mexican vanilla I ever tasted was given to me in an unmarked jug by Amy Simmons. Amy’s known around town for her Mexican vanilla ice cream, so I didn’t want to ask her what brand she used in case it was a secret. I used Amy’s vanilla in everything, and sometimes I just pulled out the jar to smell it when I needed a lift. But good things come to an end, and I eventually ran of out Amy’s vanilla and needed a replacement.
Ah, where to begin. I’d already tried a few other Mexican vanillas including Nielsen Massey, so the next ones I tried were Blue Cattle Truck (which is very light and pleasant) and Danncy, which is a pretty intense Mexican 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.
But back to the cookies, this is my rendition of the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from America’s Test Kitchen. I used the Molina vanilla, increased the chips, and increased the salt a bit. I also portioned out the dough ahead of time so that we could chill and bake as needed.
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10.5 oz) all-purpose flour (weigh for best results)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (7 oz) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla, your favorite brand (I use Molina)
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips, Ghirardelli
- 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.
I remember the first time I ever baked with Mexican vanilla. Immediate obsession, which eventually turned into my love for making homemade vanilla extract.
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.
That vanilla sounds delicious!