Jacque Torres Ch. Chp Cookies

***This cookie recipe is really good with the disc chocolates. They are much easier to find here in Spain, than in the states, but Chocolate drops of any kind are very expensive here. So these are a treat for the young adults when we make them.

It has been a learning curve for the oven and the ingredients. Dave finally figured out that the “regular flour” we were using has a low gluten count. So we started mixing a bread flour and regular flour to get an approximate gluten content that we wanted for our all purpose flour. Then we found “Uso Comun”! Once I figured out that there really is an “all-purpose” flour things started to change.

Jack Torres Chocolate Chip cookies

Yield: 1½ dozen 5-inch cookies

INGREDIENTS

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8½ ounces)

1⅔ cups bread flour (8½ ounces)

1¼ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons coarse sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

1¼ cups unsalted butter (2½ sticks)

1¼ (10 ounces) cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate discs or féves, at least 60 percent cacao content

Flaky sea salt

PREPARATION

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars together until very pale and light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.

4. Stir in chocolate pieces without breaking them.

5. Press plastic wrap against dough chill in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours. Dough can be used all at once, or in batches.

6. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Scoop six 3 ½-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto a parchment paper lined baking mat. Flatten out any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Repeat with remaining dough.

7. Bake until golden brown, but still soft, about 18 to 20 minutes for large cookies, or 10 to 12 minutes for smaller cookies. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cookies to another rack to cool further. Best eaten warm.

TIP   Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; We find similar here in Spain