Giant Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I set out to make a new cookie, it’s never an easy task. SO many recipes touted as “the best”, so little time. And so few calories to sacrifice. But I’ve had my eye on these giant double chocolate cookies for almost exactly a year now and I finally gave in. It was time to tackle a giant cookie and I was ready for it.

The long-awaited verdict? An extra half hour on the treadmill was well worth the work for these cookies. Dense, chocolatey, and gigantic, these cookies are best served slightly warm to take advantage of the gooey chocolate chips. I feel like they could have been just slightly sweeter since the dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark) really takes center stage and is altogether unsweetened to begin with; I’ve adjusted the recipe below to reflect this. Whether you weigh the dough into 4oz portions (this will yield 11 cookies) or divide the dough manually into 12 cookies, be prepared for a decadent bakery-sized cookie. I’ve never had cookies from Levain Bakery in NYC but if this cookie is any indication of what they are like, other copycat recipes that are floating around the web may just be in my future as well.

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Giant Double Chocolate Cookies
source: adapted from My Baking Addiction via Annie’s Eats

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup good quality dark cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. On low speed, stir in the cocoa powder until well blended. Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Transfer the dough to a work surface and with slightly damp hands to prevent sticking, knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined.
Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (yields 11 cookies) or divide into 12 equal pieces. Again with slightly damp hands, roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. Place on the prepared baking sheets, two inches apart.
Bake 16-20 minutes, until you’re just able to lift the edges up off the pan without breaking the dough. Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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