wait for it – smoky chocolate lava cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookies fresh from the oven are an American favorite that translates quite easily to foreign palates. The distinct smell of butter and chocolate is intoxicating. Ever since my first bite of this seemingly simple cookie, I’ve been searching for the right combination of chocolate, sweetness, and texture. As with brownies, there are so many interpretations: thin, thick, large, small, chewy, crispy, plus the magical extras of walnuts, almonds, and peanuts. All have something to recommend them.
After much research, baking, and dedicated sampling, I found the Jacques Torres’ cookie suits me well. It’s a combination of chewy center, slight crispy edge, buttery taste—all with a pronounced chocolate essence. Every bite of this cookie has chocolate. He uses chocolate discs/féves which do not harden after baking, but remain soft and slightly gooey. It’s pure sensory overload of flavor and texture. To further amp up the complexity, I tossed in my favorite smoked almonds.
The only drawback to this recipe is that you have to make it ahead of time and chill the dough for at least a day, so the recipe can’t deliver instant gratification. It does support complete indulgence, however.
Smoky Chocolate Lava Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (4 ounces) minus 1 tablespoon cake flour
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4-1/4 ounces) bread flour
- 5/8 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
- 10 tablespoons (5 ounces/1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (3-1/2 ounces) plus 1 tablespoongranulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup smoked almonds, roughly chopped
Directions:
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
3. Add chocolate and chopped almonds and incorporate until just combined. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. (Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.)
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
5. Scoop 8 1-3/4-ounce mounds of dough (approximately 1 3/4 inch diameter) onto baking sheet. Bake until golden brown but still soft, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cookies onto another rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.
recipe adapted from Jacques Torres
totally making these. reminds me of my favorite choc bar from vosges – barcelona bar w/hickory smoked almonds & sea salt.
since it’s important to use the right kind of chocolate, could you please share the brand of you used? and maybe where you bought it? (i’m in NY too)
thanks
I love the look of these cookies – dense, chewy and lots of chocolate!
I have to try this recipe soon, just have to be one day ahead of my cookie cravings ;)
Wow do these look good! I just made a batch using the Toll House recipe, been using that recipe for years – but it’s not the best recipe. Look forward to trying these. Thanks for tweeting/sharing about these gorgeous cookies!
I made these cookies and they are fabulous. I love the salty and sweet even more than he smoky (although I enjoy that as well). I used smoked and salted almonds. The only thing I might add to the instructions is that I would scoop the cookies out as soon as you make the batter and then refrigerate overnight (or I might even try freezing the batter in the “cookie balls”); I found it difficult to form into the mounds even after trying to allow the dough to soften. But they came out perfect! Have lots of milk on hand!
These looks gorgeous, I will try this one. I have one query though, what is the exact measurement for a stick of butter? I live in London and they sell butter here by gram weight.
Hi Nina, it’s equivalent to 5 ounces or 10 tablespoons. – Ken