Chocolate Chunk Cookies aka I Drown my Sorrows in Chocolate

See that below? That’s March in Toronto. Ick, ick, and ick.

Oh and I am out of soup. One of the mothers I know hosted a soup exchange recently, but now it’s gone, ALL gone. This is all my way of explaining why I had no choice, but to make the chocolatiest chocolate chunk cookie recipe in my arsenal. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

This recipe is a slightly modified one from 'Flour' by Joanne Chang. She is the owner and baker extraordinaire behind Flour a successful Boston bakery. If you do not own it and are even remotely interested in baking some extremely delicious treats then go buy it. If you don't bake then buy it for a friend, now that is a gift that will keep on giving. Because I m a little... crazy I think is the word... I actually had a friend of mine who was visiting me from Boston go to Flour (the bakery on which the book is based) and pick up an assortment of baked goods so I could compare my baked goods to the 'originals'. Let's just say I wasn't disappointed. Now that, my friends, is the result of a well written cook book.

I love that her approach to baking is so scientific, makes me want to rush out and buy a weighing scale instead of using measuring cups. Anyway, when she tells me to do something I listen and so should you.

Joanne Chang’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks; 224 grams) unsalted butter (room temperature)
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¾ cup (175 grams) light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 ¾ cup (175 grams) all-purpose flour
½ cup (160 grams) bread flour (use all purpose instead if that is what you have)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 heaped cup (170 grams) chopped bittersweet chocolate
¾ cup (150 grams) chopped milk chocolate

If you're baking the cookies on the same day you prepare the batter, heat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or mixing by hand with a wooden spoon), beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy. This will take five to ten minutes depending on the kind of mixer you have. DO NOT be lazy here; you may as well chuck your batter now. I may be exaggerating a little, but trust me it is worth it. Worse comes to worse use your handy helper (see below). Just FYI I was out of light brown sugar so I used the dark stuff, the whipped butter sugar mix should be lighter and fluffier looking.

 Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle itself a few times; the sugar and butter love to collect here and stay unmixed. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on medium speed until thoroughly combined, two to three minutes. Again scrape the bowl and the paddle to make sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated.

In the recipe above I have altered the ratio of dark chocolate to milk chocolate because my family prefers it this way. The original recipe calls for 255 grams bittersweet and 70 grams milk.  For those of you with kids, apparently letting your two year old try bittersweet chocolate as you internally chuckle and wait for them to spit it out is not a smart thing to do. Kids like the darnedest things.

Mix together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda and salt. Add both chocolates to the flour mix and toss to combine. Turn the mixer to low speed (or continue to use a wooden spoon if mixing by hand) and slowly blend the flour-chocolate mixture into the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until the flour and chocolate are totally incorporated and the dough is completely mixed.

For best results, scrape dough into a container and let rest in the refrigerator for a day before baking. The next day, heat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven. Drop the dough in ¼-cup balls onto a baking sheet about two inches apart. Press dough balls down slightly with the palm of your hand. If the batter does not fit all on one tray drop cookies on a second baking sheet and bake when the first tray is finished. If you have only one sheet tray, bake one batch and then cool the tray by running it under cold water before baking a second batch. Bake until cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. The unbaked dough can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.