Is there room in your life for another chocolate chip cookie recipe? Okay, good! Here's one that I somehow missed it when it first appeared a few years back. The recipe is adapted from Johnny Iuzzini's book, Sugar Rush. I was skeptical at first because I've baked so many cookies with similar ratios, but these were actually just a little bit better. They have cinnamon and almond extract added for flavor, and their texture is chewy with a lot of cracks and crevices. While the flavors are different, they kind of remind me of McDonald's chocolate chip cookies.
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This is my rendition, which is not very far from the original. Johnny has you mix the butter and sugars rather than beat on high. This is important because there is a lot of leavening in the dough and if you beat too much air into the creamed mixture the dough balls may rise too fast and fall too flat. Less beating also means more undissolved sugar which usually results in less spreading as well. And with so much sugar in this dough it will want to spread, so just blend the ingredients together on a low speed or do it by hand. The ones in all these pictures were mixed with just a wooden spoon.
High Fat Butter for Killer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Another thing I felt made Killer Chocolate Chip Cookies better was a higher fat butter. There's a lot of flour and sugar and only a cup of butter, so that little bit of extra fat from the butter added some richness. I used Vital Farms brand for this batch. Plugra or President would also be great, but any kind of butter will be fine. I'm just mentioning the European or higher fat kind because it works better in some recipes than others.
All Kinds of Flavors
Okay, so for the flavor! The almond extract and cinnamon enhance but do not overpower. I used a tiny bit less cinnamon than Johnny Iuzzini's recipe calls for, but even with the full ½ teaspoon they probably will not be overly cinnamon-y. And the other two things I did differently were to throw in handful of caramel chips and top the cookies with smoked Maldon sea salt. Any sea salt will work, but the smoked Maldon smells very smoky and adds yet another layer of flavor. You can also order it online or pick it up at a store like The Fresh Market.
Texture
The texture is chewy and soft, and as usual that will change depending on how you bake. I don't like having to under-bake cookies to make them chewy, but I did it anyway for one batch and the underbaked cookies were delicious. I then baked them a little longer and let them brown more, and they were still chewy. The best ones were baked on a baking stone. This is one of the "more baked".
Killer Chocolate Chip Cookies on a Baking Stone
You can bake these as usual on a baking sheet, but if you have a baking stone and some parchment paper, try baking on a preheated baking stone with a sheet of parchment underneath. Baking on a stone prevents the cookies from getting burnt undersides. Burnt bottoms have never really been a problem for me, but if I bake cookies on a stone or even on an inverted baking sheet, they come out a little "bendier". These were no exception.
McDonald's Chocolate Chip cookies
Now back to the little McDonald's issue. I know some of you out there have a not-so-secret love for their chocolate chip cookies. If you have been looking for a copycat of McDonald's Cookies, these are close. The flavor is different because of the almond extract and the cinnamon (McDonald's cookies have a strong brown sugar flavor), but the texture is similar once the cookies cool. To get them to be more like McDonald's, you should chill the dough for a day or two so that you'll get more of a Maillard reaction and more caramel flavor.
I hope you try the cookies! And here's a link to the book by Johnny Iuzzini and Wes Martin.
Recipe
Killer Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour (255 grams)
- 1 cup cup cake flour (115 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt (Morton kosher) or 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (original calls for ½ teaspoon)
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened but still cool (228 grams)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (200 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup caramel chips (optional)
- Sea salt or smoked sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Thoroughly mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment or using a wooden spoon or heavy scraper, beat the butter and sugar together on low until mixture forms a thick paste. Beat in the extracts.
- Add egg and the yolks, one at a time, mixing just until blended.
- Add flour mixture and stir just until blended. When flour is incorporated, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a medium size cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough onto a dinner plate. You can cover them with plastic and chill or bake right away.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If using a convection oven, you might want to go with 335 degrees F which is what I used.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange however many of the cookies you want to bake on the tray spacing 2 ½ inches apart.
- Press the tops down slightly with the bottom of a glass and sprinkle tops with a little Maldon sea salt if desired.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- To bake on a stone, put the dough balls on a sheet of parchment and slide (you can use a pizza peel or awkwardly lift) the parchment and place it on the preheated stone. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until cookies appear cracked and fully baked.
Anna says
I didn't realize they had them until about 2 years ago when Michelle mentioned they were her favorite, so of course our family had to try them. The sad thing is they replaced the little McDonaldland cookies.
Sue says
That sounds like a fun cookie recipe!
If I’ve ever had a McDonald’s CCC I don't remember it. That said I’ll bet these are better. Homemade always is.
Anna says
Cindy, the almond extract makes a statement. If you like it, go for it! I wish I had some brown sugar extract or good caramel extract.
Cindy D says
Makes me wonder about adding cinnamon and almond extract (which I love) to my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!