Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies with Molasses and Walnuts

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When we lived in Seattle, we had unlimited access to one of my favorite grocery stores on Earth— Metropolitan Market. Met Market, so called by locals, is a cross between Whole Foods and Fresh Market, but with an added local co-op feel. The stores are filled with lots of produce, local varieties and harder to locate items, a cheese monger who stands behind a case overflowing with cheeses you’ve never heard of (and who always seemed so excited to spend an extra ten minutes in cheese explanation and tasting), and a wine selection that rivaled local wine shops. I loved all of it, but my favorite part of the store was the deli and bakery. There was a Met Market located a block away from my office and often (far more often than I liked to admit to), I would “forget” to pack lunch and have to make the trip to Met Market for midday sustenance. I did this for the melty ham and brie baguette in the deli and the Met Market “Cookie” in the bakery. The Cookie is hands-down the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. They are giant—dwarfing the size of my hand and at least an inch thick. When they come out of the oven, they sit perched atop a cookie sheet, displayed behind the glass barricade as if keeping watch over the store. When you order one, it’s always warm and gooey, and they have small gift bags, printed with black and white stripes that read “The Cookie” that make you feel like you just went shopping at a high-end department store when you walk out, cookie in hand. It’s absolutely magical.

Since my closest Met Market is now located 3,000 miles away, I started working on my own version of “The Cookie”. Though they differ slightly from their inspired-version, these monster chocolate chip cookies are everything you want in a giant cookie. The edges are crisp and golden brown, with middles that are gooey when fresh from the oven and soft and chewy after cooling. I used molasses for a rich, brown sugar flavor and to give a bit more moisture to the cookie and studded them with toasted walnuts. I am not joking when I say “monster cookie” because each of these weighs a whopping 6 oz and uses more chocolate than you think they should. Trust me on this, the bigger and chocolatey-er the better.

P.S. Don’t forget that flaky Maldon salt to finish! It’s the best part of any great cookie.

Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies with Molasses and Walnuts

Yield: 10 giant cookies 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups (200g) cake flour

1 1/2 cups (200g) bread flour 

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 eggs, at room temperature 

1/2 cup (117g) granulated sugar 

1 1/4 cup (260g) brown sugar

1/4 cup (65g) molasses

1 cup (226g) butter, cold and cubed 

17.5 oz (500g) dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup (110g) walnuts, slightly toasted and roughly chopped

flaky salt, such as Maldon, for finishing

Procedure: 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, bread flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Cream together, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, until the mixture is light and sandy and no streaks of butter remain.

3. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at time, scraping the bowl well after each addition, and mix until homogenous.

4. Decrease the mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, a little at a time, until everything is just combined and no flour streaks remain. Pull the bowl off of the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture a couple of times, scraping down the sides of the bowl and making sure that everything is well combined. Return to the mixer.

5. Add chocolate pieces (optional: reserve 1/4 or so of chocolate chunks to dot on the tops of the cookies once scooped) and walnuts to the bowl and mix on low speed until evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.

6. Using a kitchen scale, divide the dough into 6 oz portions and roll into large balls. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and top each cookie with a few strategically placed pieces of chocolate. Cover the cookie sheet in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

7. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place four cookies on another parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving lots of space between them (about 1-1/2”). Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. When the edges are almost golden brown and the center is dry to the touch, pull the cookies from the oven and bang the pan on the counter 2-3 times to let the chocolate puddle and return to the oven for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle with flaky salt, and let them cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Repeat with the rest of the cookies, or keep the cookies in your fridge and bake them off one by one when you really need cookie. They will keep in the fridge for 3 days. You can also transfer the cookie balls to a large freezer bag and freeze them to bake off at a later time. If baking from frozen, add another 5-8 minutes onto the baking time and keep a close eye on them to make sure that they don’t get too crispy.

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies with Rose Butter

Alison Roman said once that “a roasted chicken is a great way to show someone that you love them”. She’s pretty spot on, but for me, it’s always been cookies . My dad loves peanut butter cookies. He likes them made with crunchy peanut butter so there are little nut pieces littered throughout and he likes the criss-crossing fork marks and the sprinkling of white sugar on top. My sister is a snickerdoodle gal. She likes them super soft and pillowy, rolled in cinnamon sugar with their trademark ridges on top. My husband favors deep dark chocolate cookies. He likes them to be crunchy on the outside, but gooey on the inside, and shredded coconut is always a welcome addition in his book. My mom is a firm number two on the Enneagram, so she is not picky and likes whatever cookie everyone else wants. Whenever I ask her what she prefers, she replies with “anything you would like to make”. But a long time ago, there was a cookie recipe in an old copy of a family cookbook that she really loved. They were oatmeal cookies, crunchy and flat from a substantial butter amount, speckled with white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. I think it was the red and white aesthetic that helped land these cookies firmly in the Christmas cookie category and each December, my mom looked forward to these little treats most.

So I made these cookies for my mom. They are a fluffier cookie than the original, without any oatmeal and I traded the cranberries for big, inky tart cherries. The butter is steeped with rose petals and then cooled back to room temperature. I first thought about straining the rose petals out, but thought they would look pretty strewn throughout the cookie, and as my mom always taught me, don’t dirty an extra dish if you don’t absolutely have to.

So while roasting a chicken is great way to show you someone you love them, cookies can be a little cozier and more personal. Get creative and find a cookie that speaks to the stomachs of those in your life. As the nights get longer days get chillier, I encourage you to hunker down in your kitchen and make a batch of cookies for someone you love.

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies with Rose Butter

Yield: 12-16 large cookies, or 24-28 small cookies

Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks, 226 g) unsalted butter

3/4 cup + 4 tsp (180 g) brown sugar

1/2 cup (116 g) granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups (390 g) all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt 

2 tbsp dried rose petals

1 cup (138 g) dried tart cherries, chopped 

2 cups (12 oz, 340 g) white chocolate, chopped 

Procedure: 

1. Combine butter and rose petals in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Heat butter, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted but not browned. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep until cooled to room temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, brown sugar, and melted/cooled butter. Beat on medium speed until combined and lightened slightly. The mixture should have the texture and consistency of very wet sand. Reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl occasionally to ensure that everything is evenly combined. Mix in vanilla extract.

4. With the mixer still on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients in three additions, mixing until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Fold in chopped cherries and white chocolate. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place scooped cookie dough evenly on sheet pan, leaving about 2” space between each cookie.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes for smaller cookies or 10-12 minutes for larger cookies, until the edges are golden brown and the tops of the cookies are dry. Remove pan from the oven, tap on counter once or twice, and sprinkle flaky salt on the tops of the cookies. Let cookies cool on the pan for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes: 

1. You can leave out the rose petals if you don’t have them- I just like the slightly floral flavor they give to the final product.

2. If your dried cherries are a little stiff and crunchy from being in the bag too long, you can rehydrate them by placing them in a heat proof bowl and covering them with boiling water. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, drain well, and pat dry before chopping and adding to the cookie dough.

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don’t believe that one can have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes. They are perhaps the most sentimental dessert and everyone has an opinion when it comes to the perfect chocolate chip cookie. For some, it’s a thin, flat disc, crunchy around the edges with just a little give in the center. Others may prefer to indulge in a cookie with a little more altitude and a fluffier, more cake-like crumb. There is a little bakery down the street from our house known around town for their dense, giant cookies and the equally large line for them that snakes around the building. To me, they feel like piles of chocolate chips bound together by large wads of cookie dough, ultra-gooey and barely holding together. I love them. My husband does not. But I get it, chocolate chip cookies can be a contentious topic. I’m not here to sway your opinions, only to submit a new variation to add to your cookie rotation.

I got this recipe in an email earlier this summer from Tara Jensen (whose book is beautifully written and has taught me so much about dough). I was working at the restaurant and my fellow pastry cooks and I spent weeks promising that we were going to test it out. I procrastinated all summer long, so when I returned home, these little cookies topped my to-do list. They did not disappoint. These sourdough chocolate chip cookies are soft, but with little crispy edges and the sourdough culture gives a slight tang, cutting through some of the richness. Using chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips and implementing a little “tray banging” at the end of the bake, gives you little puddles of chocolate that you will just want to dive into. And please remember to salt your cookies!

why you need a kitchen scale

I usually try to convert most recipes to cups and tablespoons in order to make things a little simpler for the home cook, however, I am a huge advocate for using metric measurements when baking, especially when it comes to using sourdough starters. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap and they are total game changers in the kitchen. Precision is not as imperative in cooking, but the science of baking really demands accuracy in order for things to turn out consistently. For example, depending on your measuring cup, the humidity in your kitchen, and the way you scoop, a cup of flour will almost always have a different weight each time you measure. If you use a kitchen scale, though, you are able to do a much better job of controlling your ingredient portions and it will come out the same each time. The other reason I recommend using metric measurements is LESS DISHES. You don’t have to dirty a million different measuring cups and spoons and you can just weigh everything directly into your bowl. For me, that alone justifies the purchase of a kitchen scale.

This is the kitchen scale I am currently using and it does the trick just fine.

*If you don’t yet have a sourdough starter and are ready to create your very own, check out my step-by-step guide here!

Recipe Update! May 2020:

When I first shared this recipe, it was one that I received in an email newsletter. I made a couple, very small tweaks, liked the extra tang of the sourdough starter and thought I would share the recipe with you guys. They were a very good cookie, but not necessarily my perfect cookie. Fast forward a few months and this recipes is by far the most popular on the blog! You guys love adding sourdough to cookies, which is great, but since so many people were heading to the blog for these babies, I wanted to make sure the recipe was not just a good one, but an excellent one- one I was proud to be the most popular recipe on the site. So after some more tinkering and adjusting, here are the new and improved Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies! They are a no longer a good cookie, but a really great cookie!

P.S. I’ve gotten a lot of requests for the old recipe as people want to try both, side by side! I love this so much so you’ll find the original recipe below all the way at the bottom of this post. Try them both and decide which cookie fits your style, and maybe even make a few of your own tweaks to make these little guys perfect for you. Happy baking!

Yield: makes 18-24 cookies

Author: Anna Ramiz

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New and Improved Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinInactive time: 24 HourTotal time: 24 H & 25 M

These soft, chewy sourdough chocolate chip cookies are spiked with leftover sourdough discard for an extra tang.

Ingredients

• 340 g all purpose flour
• 2 sticks (226 g) unsalted butter, melted and then cooled to room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 50 g sourdough starter
• 75 g sugar
• 125 g brown sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 385 g dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and sandy, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add in sourdough starter, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
3. With the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing until no flour streaks remain. Use a rubber spatula to fold in chocolate chips.
4. Transfer dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop dough into balls and place on a baking sheet, leaving 2” between each cookie. Bake until tops are just set and edges are beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes for small cookies and 10-12 minutes for larger cookies. When removing from oven, bang the tray against the counter a couple of times to settle the cookies and create those much-desired chocolate puddles. Let cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle the tops of cookies with flaky salt (like Maldon). Let cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Notes:

I've received quite a few questions about this recipe, so if you have any questions, check the comments below first! I may have already answered your question.

The chilling time is pretty important for this cookie recipe. Chilling the cookie dough allows for proper hydration and the development of the sourdough flavor. That being said, if you are unable to chill the dough for the full 24 hours, give the dough at least 1 hour in the fridge to hydrate slightly before baking, but know that the sourdough flavor won't be as pronounced.

Similar Recipes

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Browned Butter and Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie

Monster Chocolate Chip Cookies with Molasses and Walnuts

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Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies (Older Version)

Yield: 18-24 small cookies, or 10-12 large cookies

Recipe adapted from Tara Jensen

Ingredients 

250 g all purpose flour

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

50 g sourdough starter

100 g sugar

50 g brown sugar

1 T vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

400 g dark chocolate, chopped

Procedure 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until creamy and light, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add in sourdough starter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until combined. 

3. With the mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing until no flour streaks remain. Use a rubber spatula to fold in chocolate chips. 

4. Transfer dough to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. 

5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Scoop  dough into balls and place on a baking sheet, leaving 2” between each cookie. Bake until tops are just set and edges are beginning to brown, 8-10 minutes for small cookies and 10-12 minutes for larger cookies. When removing from oven, bang the tray against the counter a couple of times to settle the cookies and create those much-desired chocolate puddles. Let cookies cool on the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

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