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RECIPES

BABY

COOKBOOK

Recipes

cookies and christmas pjs

December 20, 2017

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Hi!  In less than three days, we’re jumping on (or, more accurately, “squeezing a toddler and many bags and a stroller and a car seat onto”) a plane and heading to Hawaii for the first time since our two-bowl household became a three-bowl one.  There are aunties and uncles and cousins for Luke to meet for the first time, beaches to explore, galbi to chew on, and to say we–and even more, his grandparents–are excited would be an understatement.  Our fellow passengers are probably less excited, though they don’t know it yet.  (If you have any tips for entertaining a 14-month old in an enclosed space for five hours, I welcome them and our seatmates will thank you.)

But first, cookies!  I had to restore some kind of holiday order to this place, lest we go the entire month of December without a post that is at least somewhat cookie-related.  So here’s a little round-up of some favorite holiday cookie recipes, some old and much-loved and some I’ve been meaning to try, plus an update on that classic to rule all classics, the chocolate chip cookie.  (Also, some gratuitous Christmas pajama photos, which have nothing to do with cookies.)

I had no intention of sharing another chocolate chip cookie recipe here, because no one needs me to tell them how to make chocolate chip cookies when there are so many impeccable versions out there already (most recently, this ripply, thin-and-crispy beauty from Sarah Kieffer that has been taking the world by storm!)  But then I realized that the only CCC recipe here to date is the infamous David Leite New York Times recipe, which I continue to love but to which I’ve rarely adhered in the last five (!) years since I posted it, and it didn’t seem quite right to leave out the recipe that I actually make every time I crave this classic cookie.

So, here it is!  This one hews most closely to Tara O’Brady’s recipe from her cookbook Seven Spoons, and it stole my heart because it uses melted butter, meaning no waiting for the butter to come to room temperature or creaming it with the sugars (my two least favorite cookie tasks) and, therefore, cookies even faster; the cookies it makes are thick and hefty, with crisp tops and edges but velvety, fudgy innards, puddles of chocolate on top and striated ripples within, and, if you can bear to let the dough rest a few days, warm, round notes of butterscotch and toffee underneath.  There are a few quirks from David’s recipe that still make their way into my kitchen when I make these:  It has more chocolate, and even though many have rightly pointed out that a mix of bread flour and cake flour should average out to the protein content of all-purpose, there’s something about the mix that I find adds a little extra depth to the flavor.  But while I like to use chocolate chip cookies as a repository for as many flours as possible, you shouldn’t need to, so the recipe below is written with all-purpose.

As an alternative, for a little holiday version, I like replacing a third or so of the flour with a whole grain flour like sprouted wheat, white whole wheat, rye, or spelt, to add extra nuttiness, and a touch of rosemary to lend a little savoriness, akin to the sea salt on top, which makes the sweet sweeter and the dough deeper and richer.  This makes for the extra craggy cookies pictured up top and at the end, while all-purpose flour will give you the softer, more tender cookies directly below.  But rest assured, I love these pretty much any way they turn out.

Happiest holidays, friends!  I hope it’s filled with coziness and all the cookies you could want.

chocolate chip cookies

rosemary-hazelnut linzer cookies with salted caramel filling.

fig jam & goat cheese cookies | two red bowls

Rosemary, almond, & white chocolate cookies.

macau-style almond cookies | two red bowls

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

craggy chocolate chip cookies

craggy chocolate chip cookies

a whole lot of cookies

rosemary caramel linzer cookies • macau-style almond cookies • classic gingersnaps

fig jam & goat cheese thumbprints • cranberry orange shortbread • coconut oil gingerbread folk

pan-banging ginger molasses cookies • chewy chai snickerdoodles • matcha shortbread

oatmeal raisin cookies • black and white cookies • dark & stormy sugar cookies

and

Print

my go-to chocolate chip cookie + some variations

Print Recipe

This is very lightly adapted from Tara O’Brady’s recipe in her fantastic cookbook, Seven Spoons, and it is my go-to recipe:
an easy, streamlined process that makes cookies that are thick and hefty, with a crisp edge and a fudgy, velvety center, chocolate puddled on top and rippled throughout, and a butterscotch note underneath. My only variations were to suit my personal preference–a bit more chocolate, a tad less salt and baking powder, and some notes on what flours I like to use.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks, or 8 ounces) butter
  • 3 ¼ cups (406 grams) all-purpose flour (though I prefer a combination of flours in the Notes)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 16 ounces chopped dark chocolate, or a mix of chopped and chocolate chips
  • flaky sea salt, for topping

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over very low heat, or in the microwave in 15-second increments. Take care that the butter does not sizzle. (See Notes.)
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just combined. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients until barely blended. When things are still looking a bit floury, stir in the chocolate until all of the ingredients are just combined. Use a large cookie scoop or your hands to shape the dough into large 2-ounce (or even 3-ounce) balls, then place in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and ideally 24-36 hours. They can also be frozen at this point, which I love doing.
  3. After the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 360 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat. Space 8-9 of the dough balls on the baking sheet, or as many as will comfortably fit several inches apart, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, 15-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. They may take less time, depending on the size of your cookies, or more. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, the move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

I like to use chocolate chip cookies as a repository for all the random flours I have in my pantry, but I know that recommending two or three flours for an everyday recipe is a little fussy. Still, if you’re curious, my favorite mix is about half and half bread and cake flour by weight (200 grams each), or, in the case of the craggy cookies pictured above, a mix of bread flour, cake flour, and a whole grain flour like white whole wheat, sprouted wheat, rye, spelt, etc. I find that a mix of flours adds a nice depth and nuttiness that I love. As long as it adds up to around 400-410 grams, I’ve found that all sorts of experiments will work and are delicious.

For a rosemary-walnut twist, add 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary to the melted butter before whisking with the sugars, and ½ to 1 cup chopped walnuts to the dough with the chocolate chips.

Did you make this recipe?

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  1. Mina Park

    December 20, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Those cookies all look delicious, but not as deliciously adorable as your third bowl! Merry Christmas!! x

    Reply
  2. Eliza

    December 20, 2017 at 7:09 am

    Oh my goodness, B3 has the cutest toothy smile! And the cookies look delightful too. Happy holidays to the three Bowls!

    Reply
  3. Bill McGRATH

    December 20, 2017 at 8:51 am

    Hello- the cookies look wonderful, but then again, all of your dishes do too!
    When flying with a toddler ( Luke) see if you can keep him awake during the day before getting on the plane- He will be most interested in being in a new space and all the people- Bring him a snack, and see if you can get him to sleep- And have a wonderful Holiday- Aloha

    Reply
  4. Joyce

    December 20, 2017 at 9:35 am

    Hawaii~! Hope you have a awesome time and eat lots of yummies! 🙂
    This year for Christmas, I think I’m going to make a makeshift tent to hide under and play boardgames in my onesie until the new years haha >_<

    ..and WOW your cookies look delish, the melty chocolate with the ripples are just screaming for me to bite into so I'm so glad you shared the recipe for that because I think I should do some baking (so that I have some food with me and I don't need to leave the tent) heehee!

    Merry Christmas Cynthia to you and your family!
    p.s. love love love the matching pjs and onesie!

    Reply
  5. Kankana

    December 20, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    How exciting! Love Hawaii. we went there for our honeymoon 🙂 I travelled so much with my boy. His first flight trip was for 22 hrs when he was 4 months old. I was freaking out but he was a complete sport. Somehow they deal better than us grown ups! Happy holiday to you all 🙂

    Reply
  6. Michelle

    December 20, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    Those cookies look amazing!! Enjoy Hawaii — so lucky you have family there — I’d love any excuse to go there more often! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Emily

    December 21, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Also one of my fave chocolate chip cookie recipes and I so adore those crackly tops! Have a marvelous time in Hawaii. The oldest was 15 months when we took him for the first time. I say bring loooooots of snacks. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Shannon @loveatfirstbento

    December 21, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    Ummm can I please have every single one of these cookies?? They all look phenomenal! 😀 And I absolutely adore your idea of adding some rosemary to the chocolate chip cookies, that must have such a unique taste when combined with the chocolate and sea salt – definitely going to give that one a try! And, as always, your photos are simply stunning; I’d like one of your chocolate chip cookies framed and given to me as a gift for Xmas, haha (maybe I’ll add it to my Xmas list…)!

    And good luck on the flight to Hawaii, but, more than anything, have a fantastic time! I’m sure it’ll be an absolute blast, and how nice to escape to some tropical weather during the cold months of winter! A very merry Christmas to you and your beautiful family Cynthia – I hope it’s the best one yet! 🙂

    Reply
  9. mai

    December 21, 2017 at 6:17 pm

    cynthia i loved this post + especially the pj pictures at the end. happiest holidays to you & your adorable family!

    Reply
  10. Rossi @ A Baking Girl

    December 27, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    your little boy is too cute!

    Reply
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    February 16, 2018 at 7:19 pm

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  12. Gabrielle

    April 8, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    I tried these cookies and they didn’t come out nearly as delectable looking as yours do. They taste pretty ordinary as well. The tops haven’t crackled and they stayed pretty fairly domed, and didn’t flatten out as much as yours seemed to. Any suggestions? I left the dough in the fridge about 20 hours and used all chocolate chips because I didn’t have any bars to chop. (Sounds strange I know but I went to two different food stores!)

    Reply
    • tworedbowls

      April 9, 2018 at 9:38 pm

      Oh no!!! I’m so sorry they didn’t deliver. Do you weigh your flour or use the spoon-and-sweep method? Also, how big were your cookie balls? When my cookies have domed in the past and haven’t flattened out, I usually find it’s because I used a bit too much flour or didn’t make the dough balls large enough. If they’re really big, the edges can get nice and crisp while the middle stays fudgy. But I don’t know if either of those things was your culprit. I’m sorry about this!

      Reply
      • Gabrielle

        April 14, 2018 at 2:53 pm

        I spoon and sweep, and I used an ice cream scoop for my balls. It holds 2.5tbsp, I’m not sure about the weight. I’ll let you know how it goes if I try again. Thanks for replying. 🙂

        Reply
  13. Katerina

    July 29, 2019 at 6:25 pm

    What an amazing spread of cookies! Your photography is incredible. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Bits & Pieces. – ourlifesblessings says:
    January 8, 2018 at 4:10 am

    […] These chocolate chip cookies sound AMAZING! Literally ALL of them sound AMAZING! […]

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Cynthia

An avid eater and dabbling food-maker living in California with my husband, “Bowl #2,” and our baby bowls, Luke, Clara, and Fiona.

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