Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are THE most decadent double chocolate chip cookies we have ever made. We were reading though our collection of Christmas magazines for cookie inspiration and we found this recipe from 2002 in Food and Wine Magazine. It was a forgotten winner and we remade it for our friends this Christmas. We usually put our own spin on recipes but this one is so perfect we didn’t do a thing to it. We also plan on leaving these out for Santa this Christmas eve. You could also makes these triple chocolate by adding some dark chocolate to them (see recipe at the bottom).

Active: 45 Minutes

Total: 4 hours 30 minutes

Yields: Approximately 4 1/2 DOZEN COOKIES

The fleur de sel in Pierre Hermé's slice-and-bake double-chocolate cookies doesn't make them salty; it brings out the chocolate taste and adds a delicious and mysterious flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 2 sticks plus 6 tablespoons (11 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (2 cups)

Instructions

Step 1

In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa and baking soda. In a large bowl, cream the butter. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, fleur de sel and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in the sifted dry ingredients just until blended; the dough will be fairly crumbly but will hold together. Knead in the chocolate until evenly distributed. Divide the dough in half and transfer to 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Shape each piece of dough into a 1 1/2-inch-wide log and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 4 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a sharp, thin knife, cut the logs into 3/8-inch slices and arrange about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. If the slices crumble, re-form the cookies, pressing the dough together. Bake the cookies on the middle and lower racks of the oven for about 17 minutes, or until puffed and cracked on top; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Make Ahead

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.