Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, more of them.

After the fateful article about David Leite’s “perfect” chocolate chip cookies, the blogosphere, if not the entire world, has been inundated with these classic cookies. Overloaded with so much chocolate and brown sugar, it’s a true testament to the power of the CCC that no one is sick of them yet! I still wouldn’t blame you for skipping over this post, however, since I’m sure you already have at least a half dozen recipes bookmarked for the same exact thing already.

I too have a number of recipes for American staple, one of which is published in Go Dairy Free. Printed at a time when I thought it could get no better CCC, it was a wholly triumphant day when I pulled that final batch out of the oven and found them to be just as I had remembered from so many years passed, when I could merely hope to lick the beaters when my mom had finished, let alone create them myself. It will still be my go-to recipe for that traditional taste, but that doesn’t they couldn’t stand a somewhat more modern twist every now and then.

Encouraged by the wild success in using malted barley syrup recently, I could practically taste how harmoniously it would blend with the flavors of this cookie, and simply couldn’t resist the temptation to try it out. Now, I’m not about to claim that these are better than the first recipe, “just like mother made”, or the penultimate perfect CCC… But I’ll tell you one thing: They are damn good.

Yield: Maked 8 - 10 Large Cookies

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Name: Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Cup All Purpose Flour; 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder; 1⁄2 Teaspoon Salt; 1⁄4 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips; 1⁄4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Loosely Packed; 1⁄3 Cup Malted Barley Syrup; 1⁄4 Cup Vegan Butter, Melted; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Chewy, gooey, and full of rich malted flavor, these are some next level chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1⁄2 Teaspoon Salt
1⁄4 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1⁄4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Loosely Packed
1⁄3 Cup Malted Barley Syrup
1⁄4 Cup Vegan Butter, Melted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt so that all of the dry goods are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. Add in the chocolate chips and toss to coat.
Separately, combine the sugar, malt syrup, melted vegan butter, and vanilla. Stir well, and then add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry. Using a wide spatula, mix just enough to bring the batter together smoothly without over-beating it.
Use a 3-ounce ice cream scoop to portion out cookies, and place them with at least 1 1/2 between each cookie on your prepared baking sheet. They spread out to become sizable cookies, so I usually bake about 9 per sheet.
Flatten them out slightly with lightly moistened hands, and bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until barely browned around the edges and no longer shiny on top. They may looks a bit underdone, but they will continue to bake once removed from the oven, and you want to keep them nice and chewy. Let the cookies rest on the sheets for 10 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.

Notes

Adapted from Dreena Burton's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Vive Le Vegan!

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 167Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 199mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.

January 21, 2009December 11, 2021

Hannah (BitterSweet)51 Comments

A Match Made Through Science

To the average cook, flavor pairing is a critical art to understand and master, but in truth, it’s much more of a science than anything else. Matching up similar volatile molecules in various ingredients ensures a much greater likelihood of ending up with a dish that has all its elements both well-balanced and working together harmoniously. Taking this approach, there have been many dubious, unusual, and just bizarre pairings concocted (caramelized cauliflower and chocolate, anyone?) but most surprisingly, the flavors do always seem to work together.

They Really Go Well Together

Fascinated by this concept, I’ve been quietly watching this blog event, They Really Go Well Together (TRGWT), seeing what creative entries came in for such unique combinations. When the most recent theme of soy sauce and malt was announced, something about those two just struck me as perfect, and I completely understood that they belonged together. The bright saltiness of the soy sauce, the deep, woodsy notes of malt- This was one that I had to try for myself.

Believe it or not, I actually made a soy caramel sauce many months ago for a base recipe that never fully worked out, so I already knew that that would make an appearance here. Instead of putting it on the side as a dipping sauce, keeping it separate from the “action,” if you will, I wanted to have it swirled throughout… And what better to swirl caramel through than ice cream?

The Ripple Effect

So malted ice cream with soy caramel ripple it was! With just enough sweetness to counteract the high level of salt in the soy sauce, the caramel ripple adds bursts of bright flavor, livening up the smooth, musky malt ice cream. An odd couple, perhaps, but they really do create a harmonious symphony of flavor!

Maybe there is something to this whole “science” business after all?

Yield: Makes 1 1/2 Pints

Malted Ice Cream with Soy Caramel Ripple

With just enough sweetness to balance the salty in the soy sauce, a rich caramel ripple adds bursts of bright flavor, livening up the smooth, musky malt ice cream.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

Malted Ice Cream:

1 Whole Vanilla Bean
2 Cups Plain, Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk Divided
1/2 Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 Cup Barley Malt Syrup
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Optional, but Recommended*)
Pinch Salt

Soy Caramel:

1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

Instructions

Slit your vanilla bean down the center and use the side of your knife to scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds into a medium sauce pan, along with 1 3/4 cups of the non-dairy milk, plus all of the coconut milk, malt syrup, and sugar. Place the pan over medium heat, and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
In a separate dish, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of milk with the cornstarch, making sure that all of the lumps are beaten out. Pour the slurry into the pan while whisking constantly, and continue to cook the mixture until bubbles begin to break on the surface and it feels significantly thickened.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle in the xanthan gum and very quickly and vigorously whisk it in. If you don’t trust that you can move fast enough, incorporate it using a stick blender, because it absorbs liquid and forms lumps very rapidly. Finally, whisk in the salt, and plunge the pan into an ice bath to cool it down. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
While the base chills, you can make the soy caramel. Simply combine both the brown sugar and soy sauce in a small sauce pan, place over medium heat, and cook the mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside. (It may start to harden by the time you get back to it, but just reheat it gently and it should be fine)
Once the base has thoroughly chilled, churn it in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After freezing, transfer it into an air-tight container, and swirl in the soy caramel using a wide spatula. Quickly move it into your freezer so that it can fully solidify.

Notes

*The ice cream will work just fine without this, but it vastly improves the texture and therefore mouth feel of the finished product.

The Crimson Cake

For years, the mere concept of a red velvet cake sounded so wholly unappetizing, I refused to even give it a try. Packing in more red food coloring than any flavor, what with that skimpy few tablespoons of cocoa, I figured it simply wasn’t worth a second thought. While others raved and this southern classic grew in popularity, I still held my ground and steadfastly refused to welcome that ruby red baked good into my recipe file.

What changed all of a sudden and compelled me to experiment with a small batch of cupcakes? Curiosity, for one, and my love for taking on challenges. No way would I use that bitter red dye, so changing up that one element opened the door to new possibilities with this sweet staple. Instead of going the path of beets like many others have for a natural hue, it only made sense to try adding in more flavor at the same time, making that bottle of reduced pomegranate juice leftover from an older project perfect for my purposes.

With an open mind and an empty stomach, I wanted so badly to understand what the hype was about and fall in love as so many others had… But sadly, I still don’t see what all the fuss is about. All that flickered through my mind as the tender crumb hit my tongue was how flat and unpronounced the flavor was; bitter and twisted, if anything at all. Maybe I’ll try again to solve this riddle, but for now I must once again say, “No red velvet for me, thanks.”

But the “cream cheese” frosting? THAT is one sweet concoction that’s absolutely swoon-worthy!

January 13, 2009

Hannah (BitterSweet)72 Comments

New Toys

My impressive plunder from holiday gift-giving leaves me predictably overwhelmed. Inundated by all the shiny toys I’ve had my eye on for the past twelve months, I’m beyond feeling like a kid in a candy store- More like a mad baker in a pastry department! After spending the first week or so drowning in guilt over my embarrassment of riches, the shame instantly dissipated after boxes were opened and kitchen appliances exhumed from their bubble-wrapped tombs. So many ideas bubbled around in my scattered brain, the real trouble was figuring out where to start.

And really, that wasn’t too hard after all. Seriously, when the accessories look more like ammunition than culinary tools, who wouldn’t be intrigued?

The lure of my professional-looking iSi cream whipper proved to out shine the rest, which pushed it to the foreground of my brainstorming. How to use this tool designed to work almost exclusively with dairy, and develop vegan recipes, was an exciting challenge. While I can’t claim the greatest of success so far, there has been one simple yet encouraging triumph: Mousse.

Made from only two ingredients, this would be perfect for an emergency dessert if guests happen to drop by unannounced, expecting sweets [as they often do around here.] So light, fluffy, and down right fun, I can definitely see this becoming a go-to recipe for instant mousse gratification. Yes, it does require this fancy shmancy equipment, but hey, aren’t I allowed to play with my new toys a little?

Instant Mousse

1 25.5-Ounce Can Coconut Milk, Chilled
1 3-Ounce Package Kojel (I used lemon, but any flavor works just fine)

First off, do NOT shake the can of coconut milk. Remove the top and use a large spoon to skim off the cream on top. Measure out two cups from the upper layer of coconut cream- You will have some extra, but you can use that in another recipe. Whisk the kojel into the coconut cream so that the mixture is homogeneous, and transfer it into your cream whipper. Use one charge, shake a few times, and dispense the entire contents into a number of small dishes. Do not reserve any of the mousse inside the whipper, because it will set up and not come out.

Either chill for a colder, firmer mousse, or eat immediately!

Printable Recipe

January 7, 2009September 17, 2009

Hannah (BitterSweet)38 Comments

Waste Not, Want Not

The problem with most recipes for frostings, custards, mousses, and other sugary fillings is that they tend to make far more than is useful. I’m sure that many of you are shaking your heads in disagreement here, because really, what’s better than those extra dollops of whipped chocolate ganache? I understand completely! To be more precise, the problem lies in the usage. Finding a way to enjoy those last morsels without resorting to simply spooning plain frosting into your mouth can be a fine art. It takes a bit of creativity to dress them up a bit without looking too desperate (read: frosting on bread does not cake make), but there’s a certain degree of restraint that must be exercised, lest you spend hours creating a whole new pastry masterpiece. In situations such as these, I find no problem in getting a helping hand with certain components, like frozen puff pastry.

Easily manipulated into a myriad of fun shapes, it’s easy enough to merely cut out a few squares, bake them off, top them with mousse and call them free-form tarts. However, one of my favorite presentations takes just an ounce more effort, but pays off in tons of rave reviews. I present to you the humble cream horn, a lovely little trick that every baker should have up their sleeve.

Just let the sheet of puff pastry thaw at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes, until soft and pliable. Roll it out lightly to remove the creases, and cut it into 1/2 wide strips. Take a metal cream horn form (or cannoli forms can work too) and starting at the pointy end, wrap one strip around it, overlapping on the edges slightly so that it stays together. Place the horn on the ends of the pastry strip, on top of a silpat. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes, until puffed and nicely browned. Carefully remove the metal form, and return the pastry to the oven for another 5 minutes or so, just to dry out the insides a bit more to keep them crisper. Let the horns cool completely before piping (or spooning) in whatever extra sweet spreads or fillings you have on hand. For the cream horns above, I marbled together some extra chocolate and mint mousses.

And if that all sounds like too much work for you, just take a few simple cookie cutters and cut shapes out of the sheet of puff pastry. Bake until golden brown, and let cool completely. Either slice or pull the shapes apart at the center, fill as desired, and replace the top for a buttery, flaky, and sweet sandwich!

January 5, 2009January 5, 2009

Hannah (BitterSweet)36 Comments

A Matter Of Luck

New Year’s Eve is a very peculiar time to celebrate.

Every culture has their own customs and methods, but each involves a healthy dose of superstition. It’s hard to say that any of it truly has any impact on the year ahead, but something about those standard rituals just make the day a bit more special. As if to mark them as different from all others, to really put a dividing line between one set of 52 weeks and the next, it’s the unusual and often inexplicable traditions that remind us that it’s not to late for our luck to turn around, or for us to start again if we should need to. Although I couldn’t tell you exactly why it’s considered auspicious to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve, I can tell you that I definitely will be.

What’s the best thing to do with black-eyed peas?

Most people make Hopping John to get their serving of these cyclops beans, but where’s the imagination in that? Nope, for me, I don’t put them in any regular or predicable dishes, but I dole out a bit of good luck to those with a sweet tooth like myself.

Why is this the best healthy chocolate cake recipe?

Crackled on top and sunken in the middle, this is one homely cake for sure, but it will always have a place in my heart. Composed of little more than black-eyed peas and chocolate, those who avoid gluten will also be able to partake, and the high protein content makes it a lesser evil than most of the sweet treats that have been so abundant this season. It may not be fancy enough to bring to that black tie affair, but since I plan to celebrate the beginning of the new year quietly at home, a thick, dense, and somewhat crumbly slice of this cake is exactly what I want to cozy up with when the ball drops in Times Square.

Besides, can you think of a sweeter way to get a serving of beans into your diet?

Yield: Makes 1 Loaf Cake; 8 - 10 Servings

Lucky Chocolate Cake

Boost your good fortune with a healthy chocolate cake! Composed of little more than black-eyed peas and chocolate, those who avoid gluten will also be able to partake, and the high protein content makes it a lesser evil than most of the sweet treats.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 Cups Cooked Black-Eyed Peas
1 (12-Ounce) Package Extra-Firm Silken Tofu
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Cups (9 Ounces) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Natural Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
Pinch Salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
Toss both the black-eyed peas and the tofu into your food processor or blender, and let it run until the mixture is completely smooth. Give it a good long time to work, since it would be rather unpleasant to find any whole beans in your cake.
Add in the sugar and coffee powder, and pulse to combine.
Separately, melt the chocolate and stir well until smooth before adding into the food processor, and then let it run for a minute until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides to make sure you aren’t missing anything, and give it another minute to process. Finally, add the cocoa, coffee powder, baking powder, soda, and salt, and pulse to combine.
Spread the mixture into your prepared pan, leveling off the top with your spatula as best you can. Bake for 60 – 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. I know that’s a bit vague, but it will still be ever so slightly wet since it’s such a moist cake- Just make sure it doesn’t look like it’s covered in raw batter. Let it cool completely in the pan before serving.