All I want for Christmas is my….

My kids asked me for my list, and being the very fortunate person that I am, there wasn’t a lot that I need or want. I had to think for a few minutes before settling on ” How about some baking books?”

So, to my surprise ( not) I received a Baking Cakes and Baking Cookies book. The truth is that I have many baking books already, but since baking is one of my favourite hobbies, another two volumes couldn’t hurt right?

Anyway, I do not claim to have created this recipe myself, BUT I did try it out, and they are good enough to pass on to you. Soft, chewy and utterly delicious! ( makes 30 cookies or so)

Ingredients:

10 tbsp ( 143 g) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

 1/2 cup granulated sugar

 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil ( I used canola)

2 large eggs at room temperature

2 tbsp milk, room temperature

 3 tsp vanilla extract

 2 1/4 cups all purpose-flour

3/4 cups bread flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

2 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped

Sea salt flakes or pearls for dusting on top. ( This really makes the cookie!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degreesF. Place the rack on top third of oven at least 6 inches from heat source. Cover trays with parchment.

Put butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat to med-high. Continue stirring and look for small golden bits that will start to settle on bottom of pan. It will smell deliciously nutty and caramel-y. This should take around 3-5 minutes. Once this happens, take it off the heat and pour into a medium heat-safe bowl to cool a bit.

When cooled slightly, whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil. Once smooth, add in the eggs one at a time, completely mixing in the first before adding the second. Whisk in the milk and vanilla until blended. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking powder, soda and sea salt. Add the flour mixture to the brown butter mixture and mix until just blended and you streaks of flour. Add in the chocolate chunks and continue to blend until chocolate is evenly distributed throughout.

Gently roll 2 tbsp ( yes, they are fairly big cookies) of dough into a ball. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle each with a pinch of sea salt flakes or pearls.

Bake one sheet at a time for 11 minutes in the oven. Let cool for 5-10 min on baking sheet, then transfer to a rack.