Secret Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, so this is my first recipe post. So bare with me. I’ve been sharing my food on social media for a while now, and I’ve gotten many requests for recipes. This is a new one, fresh out of the oven!

I love chocolate chip cookies. They are my favorite. I’ve experimented with many recipes over the years. What makes some of them difficult, is the altitude. I always tried to follow them to a T, and I would end up frustrated, and still not with the best product. I am still experimenting with different chocolate chip recipes, but I think this one is a great dark chocolate chip cookie. And its dark chocolate, so we can say its healthy right?

Ok, so after trying to figure out exactly what I needed to adjust to make my cookies better, I have some adjustments to “normal” cookie recipes. The first, is that I don’t level off my flour. I do more of a heaping, but not quite heaping measurement…if that makes any sense. I also upped the temperature from your average recipe. And you will see that adjustment in every recipe I have.

So, to start, I am much too impatient to wait on butter to sit on the counter for who knows how long. I cut my butter into cubes, and microwave it. It ends up partially melted, mostly soft, which actually does a lot of good for the cookies. I can’t stress enough that mixing the dry ingredients in a separate bowl is huge. Just dump them into a smaller mixing bowl and wisk for a few seconds, trust me, it makes a world of difference.

I also, as you will notice, used aluminum foil for the baking sheet. I usually use parchment paper, but forgot to pick some up at the store. Oops. But aluminum foil works really well too.

And yes, maple syrup is the secret ingredient. It gives a nice depth and chewiness to the cookie.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter (softened, melty)

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 1/2 cups semi heaping cups of unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 bag dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F

Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil

In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars together until well combined

add eggs and combine, then add vanilla and syrup, and mix until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients into the mixer, and mix until just combined. Do not over mix!

Fold in chocolate chips with spatula or wooden spoon.

Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Form small dough balls with your hands, and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for about 7-8 minutes for softer cookies, around 9-10 for crispier.

*note: I live at over 5,000 feet. For low elevations, I suggest turning the oven down to 350 F and leveling your flour when measuring.