Decades of baking chocolate chip cookies have only whetted my appetite for more cookies and more chips. With a layer of chocolate chips baked right into the middle of this thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie, these fall in the “why didn’t I think of it before?” great cookie category.
The cookies are made entirely with brown sugar, rather than the usual granulated and brown sugar combination, plus cool butter and cold eggs. This works to produce a cookie dough that is firm and thick enough to hold the middle layer of chips.
makes 16 cookies • cookie making 25 minutes • cookie baking 350 degrees, two baking sheets for about 15 minutes each
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened (for about 30 minutes)
1½ cups packed light brown sugar
2 large cold eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Mix in 2 cups of the chocolate chips.
Roll 2 tablespoons of dough between the palms of your hands into a ball, flatten it slightly to make a 2-inch disk, and place on one of the prepared baking sheets Repeat to make a total of 16 disks, placing 8 on each baking sheet and spacing them 4 inches apart. Leaving a ¼-inch plain edge, lightly press 1 tablespoon of the remaining chocolate chips onto each disk. Using the remaining dough, make 16 more disks, placing one on top of each chocolate-chip-topped disk. Press the dough disks gently to cover any of the chocolate chip filling that shows around the edges.
Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned but the centers are still pale golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm (the filling will be soft and melted) or at room temperature.
The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
choices
Milk chocolate or white chocolate chips can be substituted for the semisweet chips. To serve these cookies for a party, use a large sharp knife to cut the cookies into quarters and dip the pointed ends in Chocolate Coating. Let the chocolate firm before serving them.