Serves: Makes 10-12
I have come to realise that the best cookies are basically lots of chocolate chips bound up in a little cookie dough. These whoppers are inspired by the jaw-dropping Levain Bakery cookies I tasted on a recent trip to New York. They are supposed to be XXL-somehow a small cookie just doesn’t have the same impact. My current oven is not very powerful so I suggest checking the cookies after 15 minutes and perhaps turning the tray halfway through cooking so they bake evenly. They are better slightly underbaked than overbaked. There is a goodly amount of chocolate chips in this recipe so it is worth investing in one kilo bags of good quality Callebaut chips, available from Amazon.
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 100g light soft brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 260g plain flour
- 15g cornflour
- 40g desiccated coconut
- 100g good quality dark chocolate chips
- 300g good quality milk chocolate chips
- 12 squares Cadburys Caramel (from a large bar)
- Maldon sea salt
Method
- In a large mixing bowl cream the butter, sugars and vanilla extract with electric beaters for at least 3-4 minutes. Beat in the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the flour and coconut followed by the chocolate chips. Chill the dough for two hours.
- Divide the dough into 12 balls-about 100g each. Press a square of Cadbury Caramel into each ball and mould the dough around it. Chill the cookies overnight.
- The next day, heat the oven to fan 180°c, mark 6. Line two baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment. Space the cookies out over the baking sheets allowing at least 5cm between each one. Sprinkle a little Maldon salt over each cookie and bake in the oven for between 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden and gently risen. Leave to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely –although they are most delicious served warm.
