Amanda Hesser's Thick and Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earlier this year, the New York Times’ Amanda Hesser published chocolate chip cookie recipes for three different types of cookies: Thin and Crispy, Flat and Chewy, and Thick and Gooey. I’d volunteered to bake cookies for a Writers’ Tea in Sadie’s class, and thought “Hey, why don’t I try that thick cookie recipe?”

They’re very easy to make, especially if you don’t sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt but, instead, dump them in a bowl and give them a quick stir. (Not that anyone around here did that…) . It’s a cake walk of a recipe. I did notice that, out of the three chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve tried out since starting this blog, these had the most irregular borders (i.e., they weren’t circular).

The recipe calls for ¼ cup of dough per cookie for a total yield of 30 cookies, but I used my regular – and smaller -- cookie dough scoop. Despite Kevin’s skepticism over my accounting practices, I got about 40 cookies out of the recipe.

As for the consistency and taste, they’re not my favorite. I like thin, crisp chocolate chip cookies with good hits of salt and butter. These are thick, soft, and cake-like (mine were not gooey), though the butter flavor is still very present.

Having said all that, I didn’t turn my nose up at them. I just didn’t have to rip myself away from the cookie jar. But if you prefer a softer, cakier chocolate chip cookie, this is the recipe for you.


Thick-and-Gooey Chocolate-Chip Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.

Roll 1/4 -cup lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to 1/2-inch thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges turn golden, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. Makes 30 cookies.

Grade: B