Happy Independence Day to all of the Americans viewing the blog. I hope you are getting your fill of BBQ’s and Fireworks. I will be hitting up Walt Disney World tomorrow for my little one’s first visit to the parks which should be interesting but fun. I’m super excited because I have not been to Disney since January, which was about 1 week before my daughter was born. I know it will be crowded but well worth the experience, not to mention my desire to try the All American Apple Pie inspired Cupcake that is on sale for a limited time as part of Disney’s limited time magic for the 4th of July spectacular.

Now I know what you are all thinking. Where is the Independence day post with all this talk of it? Sure many websites out there have a patriotic theme with everything having to incorporate some Red, White, & Blue…BUT… here at Honeybee’s we are a little unconventional and decided to go against the grain with an everyday treat themed post. In my defense however, I did also make Mini Cherry Cheesecakes which at least have Red and White but they were devoured before a single picture could be snapped.

The decision for this post…simply put…. is a result of my mad craving for chocolate of late. As much of a blessing as they are, there really is only so many little weight watcher 1 point chocolates I can eat before I crave something more fulfilling and naughty. I wanted a “Death by Chocolate” style of cookie with chewy texture. Simple right. Not too much to ask is it??? WRONG!!!

Problem is, these two simple sounding requests never seem to go hand in hand with each other because the more chocolate that goes in, the more texture gets murdered. It is a result of science and how ingredients interact with each other in the baking process which I won’t go into details and bore the heck out of you. Instead I will give you just a few bullet points so you can have a briefing on the matter and maybe apply it to other recipes of your own in the future. This will be brief and painless I promise. My boyfriend is a born and raised New Yorker and taught me the importance of the New York minute so I won’t keep you from the goods for long I just want to set you up with the best possible final product with a few pointers 😉

Step one to the perfect chewy chocolate cookie is the chocolate itself… so be sure to buy a good quality baking chocolate. I personally enjoy Ghiradelli’s Dark Chocolate but a 2nd fave is Callebaut Intense Dark. Of course any dark, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate will work but the chocolate intensity may suffer a tad bit. When working with the chocolate you ultimately select, be sure to chip it into the right size chunks. If too small, the chocolate will melt and disappear into the dough when baked causing your “death by chocolate” bits to go unnoticed. Be sure to make the chunks about ½ inch so that they remain intact while baking and contribute bursts of chocolate flavor.

Step two involves achieving the chewy texture. First things first… take out that egg yolk. Using just the white eliminates extra fat egg yolks provide that would not only have gone to your waistline, but also have created a tender cake or brownie-like texture instead of chewy. Alteration #2 involves once again the chocolate. Instead of using melted chocolate, this formula uses cocoa powder which adds chocolate flavor without adding tenderness to the cookie, allowing the chewy texture to shine through. Lastly, the amount of white sugar needs to be lessened greatly. By replacing some white sugar with dark brown sugar and dark corn syrup the chewiness is boosted much like molasses does to a gingerbread cookie, without giving an off taste that would distract from the chocolate. If you don’t have dark brown sugar or dark corn syrup on hand you can substitute light for both with a little suffering in flavor and texture.

Oh and one final tip before I send you off to baking and myself to dreamland… use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to perfectly portion your cookies. I use a size #30.

Note: Formula yields 16 cookies.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ oz. (1/3 cup) Granulated Sugar; an additional ½ cup for finished coating
7 ½ oz. (1 ½ cups) All-Purpose Flour; unbleached
3 oz. (¾ cup) Cocoa Powder; Dutch-Processed
½ tsp. Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Salt
½ cup Dark Corn Syrup
1 Egg White; Large
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
12 tbsp. (1 ½ sticks) Unsalted Butter; softened
2 ½ oz. (1/3 cup) Dark Brown Sugar; packed
4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate; chopped into ½ in. pieces

Formula:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions. Heat oven to 375°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish and set aside. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium size bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in a small bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the corn syrup mixture. Beat until syrup mixture is fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With mixer running on low, add the flour mixture and chopped chocolate. Mix until just incorporated, again scraping down the sides of the bowl. Gently stir the dough with the rubber spatula to ensure no pockets of flour remain at the bottom and the chocolate chunks are evenly distributed. Chill the dough for 30 minutes until slightly firm. Be sure not to allow the dough to chill longer than 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Roll portions between your hands to form a ball about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into the dish of sugar and toss to coat. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Repeat with the second batch of 8. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Centers will be puffed and cracked but still appear wet and raw between the fissures. Don’t fear that they are underdone. This will cause the perfectly moist, chewy textured cookie. Be sure not to overbake!!!
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove with a metal spatula and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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