black-tie cookie
I think it’s really important to relax a little sometimes. Is that a good enough excuse for such a healthy girl to make such decadent, luscious, amazingly deliciously sinful cookies? Oh, I also thought it would be the perfect way to try the rose salt that I bought in France, since these cookies call for a sprinkling of salt on top. I have to admit, the pink salt crystals were very cute. If I owned a bakery, or any restaurant, I would have these on the menu as a slightly healthier version of the classic. But of course, let’s not fool ourselves, they are chocolate chip cookies, and they do have about twice the amount of chocolate that I’m used to seeing in their counterparts, which is of course partly why they’re so good.
When I saw this recipe, and that gorgeous photo, in the New York Times Dining section about a month ago, I knew I would have to try it, even though I haven’t baked chocolate chip cookies in about…eight years! So I devised a way to make them a bit more blood-sugar friendly and a little easier to digest.
I’m willing to sacrifice perfection on texture and consistency unless it’s a super special occasion, especially if it means that I get to enjoy the flavour of a dish without indigestion or major blood-sugar spikes. If you disagree, please feel free to use regular flour, but I’ve substituted a combination of flours that many people may find more agreeable in their tummies. The west is pretty saturated with wheat, and in my practice, it’s extremely common to see clients with an intolerance to wheat and/or gluten, probably due to an overload of the stuff in their gut (along with white sugar), or due to having been fed wheat as a baby before the body was ready to digest it. I think we could use a change. Hence the spelt and rice flours.
I have also included my technique for a powdered sugar that isn’t white sugar: simply measure out your demerara or date sugar or sucanut or whatever you use, and grind it in a clean coffee grinder until powdered. It will incorporate unlike the larger crystals, but hasn’t gone through any nutrient-stripping processes. I do this for almost all my baked goods unless using agave or maple syrup.
Consider baking these either for a special occasion or party where there will be lots of people around to share them with, or if you have plenty of neighbors, friends and co-workers to take them to. You might want to eat half the batch on your own (Colm and I both agreed this was a possible outcome as we stared at the lot after eating one each; then with great difficulty we managed to seal them up and put them away), but obviously they’re more enjoyable if you don’t. I have given you a the recipe below with everything cut in half, which is how I made it, and really, it was plenty (for now). I’ve decided that these would be the perfect snack for a day of hard-core mountain biking (having tried said crazy outdoor activity last week), mountain climbing, or marathon running. Do you get the idea? ‘Nough said.
sel du rose and dough
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from NYTimes Dining, July 9th 2008, which was adapted from Jacques Torres…
Flour:
2 ounces brown rice flour + 3 1/2 ounces white spelt flour + 3 ounces whole spelt flour
2/3 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/4 sticks (1/2 + 1/8 cups, about 160 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (9 ounces) demerara or other unrefined sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate: I used Divine fair-trade 70% dairy free bars (please see the link above to the original recipe regarding their recommendations for chocolate)
Sea salt (or pink rose salt if you have it!)
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Measure out your sugar and place into a small blender or clean coffee grinder. Grind for about 30 seconds, or until most of the sugar is powdered. Tap on the counter to settle the sugar before opening.
2. Chop the chocolate bars into 1 centimeter-size chunks, cutting lengthwise then widthwise with a large knife. Skip this step if you’re using chips or discs.
3. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, (or a sturdy spatula, followed by electric beaters) cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing well. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. (At this point, I turned off the beaters, added the dry ingredients and stirred the whole thing a bit so that when I turned the beaters on again, a cloud of flour would not erupt in my face). Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees (160 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 2 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of small golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea/rose salt and bake until golden brown but still soft. For me, this was only 10 – 12 minutes, although the original recipe says 18 – 20. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more (I cooled them on a plate; it was fine). Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 3-inch cookies.
