Since I discovered Jacques Torres' chocolate chip cookie recipe after it was published in the New York Times two years ago, it's become my go-to chocolate chip cookie. I still make other varieties of cookies that contain chocolate chips (e.g. oatmeal chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip). But as far as straight-up, traditional chocolate chip cookies go, I have pretty much stopped trying other recipes -- because I'm pretty sure I'll never find one to surpass it.
However, as I am a huge fan of Nutella, I couldn't resist trying Bill Yosses' recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella from The Perfect Finish. Even though I love hazelnuts, I never bake with them -- not only are they expensive and somewhat hard to find, but peeling them is a tedious chore. On the other hand, Nutella offers chocolate-hazelnut gratification that requires no more effort than unscrewing the jar lid and scooping some out with a spoon.
Yosses' recipe calls for flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, light brown sugar, Nutella, eggs, a vanilla bean, bittersweet chocolate chunks, and nuts. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of chunks, and skipped the nuts. The Nutella turns the cookie batter an odd shade of brown. The baked cookies had a dull grayish muddy hue, like chocolate milk.
My first reaction when I tried a cookie was immediate dismay; I really couldn't taste the Nutella, which was the sole reason I had wanted to try this recipe in the first place. However, my disappointment was fleeting. Despite the lack of hazelnut flavor, this is an excellent chocolate chip cookie. It has a very good texture -- moist and chewy. And while I don't think the Nutella would be detectable by someone who didn't know it was part of the recipe, the cookie has a certain extra flavor oomph. Yosses says that the Nutella keeps the cookies flexible and chewy and gives an overall subtle nutty taste. He also says the moisture in the Nutella helps the cookie keep well for 3 or 4 days (I can't verify that; there were no leftovers!).
Tom actually said he liked the Nutella cookie better than the Monster Cookies with Pretzel M&Ms I made recently, which is quite a statement, since the monster cookies were really delicious. He does agree with me that the Jacques Torres recipe still rules the chocolate chip cookie category. However, this recipe does have one significant advantage over the Jacques Torres cookie. You can make the batter and bake the cookies right away, without any need to chill the cookie dough. In contrast, you need to chill the monster cookie dough for five hours and the Jacques Torres dough for at least 24 hours. I will definitely make this cookie again, and it's wonderful to have a tasty option for chocolate chip cookies that don't require advance planning!
Recipe: "Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella" from The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion, by Bill Yosses and Melisssa Clark.
Previous posts:
However, as I am a huge fan of Nutella, I couldn't resist trying Bill Yosses' recipe for Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella from The Perfect Finish. Even though I love hazelnuts, I never bake with them -- not only are they expensive and somewhat hard to find, but peeling them is a tedious chore. On the other hand, Nutella offers chocolate-hazelnut gratification that requires no more effort than unscrewing the jar lid and scooping some out with a spoon.
Yosses' recipe calls for flour, baking soda, salt, butter, sugar, light brown sugar, Nutella, eggs, a vanilla bean, bittersweet chocolate chunks, and nuts. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of chunks, and skipped the nuts. The Nutella turns the cookie batter an odd shade of brown. The baked cookies had a dull grayish muddy hue, like chocolate milk.
My first reaction when I tried a cookie was immediate dismay; I really couldn't taste the Nutella, which was the sole reason I had wanted to try this recipe in the first place. However, my disappointment was fleeting. Despite the lack of hazelnut flavor, this is an excellent chocolate chip cookie. It has a very good texture -- moist and chewy. And while I don't think the Nutella would be detectable by someone who didn't know it was part of the recipe, the cookie has a certain extra flavor oomph. Yosses says that the Nutella keeps the cookies flexible and chewy and gives an overall subtle nutty taste. He also says the moisture in the Nutella helps the cookie keep well for 3 or 4 days (I can't verify that; there were no leftovers!).Tom actually said he liked the Nutella cookie better than the Monster Cookies with Pretzel M&Ms I made recently, which is quite a statement, since the monster cookies were really delicious. He does agree with me that the Jacques Torres recipe still rules the chocolate chip cookie category. However, this recipe does have one significant advantage over the Jacques Torres cookie. You can make the batter and bake the cookies right away, without any need to chill the cookie dough. In contrast, you need to chill the monster cookie dough for five hours and the Jacques Torres dough for at least 24 hours. I will definitely make this cookie again, and it's wonderful to have a tasty option for chocolate chip cookies that don't require advance planning!
Recipe: "Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nutella" from The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion, by Bill Yosses and Melisssa Clark.
Previous posts:
- "The Cookie That Has Everything: Monster Cookies," August 24, 2010.
- "Sustenance for the 46th St. Shovel Brigade: Chocolate Chip Cookies," February 11, 2010.
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