Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter & Toasted Coconut

These cookies started out as an attempt to clean out my pantry. Too many baking whims and enticing recipes in the past few weeks have caused me to accumulate an inordinate amount of ingredients that I rarely use up. This means that a glance into my refrigerator or baking cupboard will reveal items such as half a tube of almond paste, a nearly-full bag of sorghum flour, an opened bag of white chocolate chips, both sweetened and unsweetened coconut flakes, and almost an entire quart of whole milk which I bought for a recipe that only needed 1/3 cup. The day that whole milk becomes available in baking-sized amounts will be a very happy day indeed.

All that clutter led me to be responsible for once and instead of loading up on more special ingredients of which I would use only a teeny-tiny pinch and then leave to waste away in my black hole of a kitchen, I decided to make do with what I had. I hadn’t made cookies in what seemed like forever (we’re talking way back at the end of June, for goodness sake!) so a cookie fix was definitely in order. An open bag of miniature chocolate chips in the pantry made chocolate chip cookies a logical choice, so that’s where I started.

To add a little something extra to the cookies, I opted for browned butter instead of the melted butter called for in my favorite thick & chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe. I used dark brown sugar (which leads to more depth of flavor and chewiness) to enhance the nutty, caramel-like flavor of browned butter, and added in some toasted coconut for even more nuttiness. The mini chocolate chips provide bits of chocolate in every bite, which is always a good thing, and I used half whole-wheat flour to give the cookies a richer, deeper flavor and texture. The extra egg yolk in the recipe makes the cookies super chewy, and chilling the dough makes them incredibly thick. I’ll take a thick, chewy cookie over a thin, crispy cookie any day!

Not only did I save a some money (and cupboard space) by not buying new ingredients for today’s recipe, I ended up with an incredible new cookie recipe! If you’re looking for a thick & chewy chocolate chip cookie taken up a notch in flavor and texture, look no further. Who knew that cleaning out the cupboard could result in the birth of such a delicious treat?

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Browned Butter & Toasted Coconut

1 cup + 2 tbs all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 sticks (12 tbs) unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (or any type of chocolate chip)

1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spread the shredded coconut onto the sheet. Cook for 8-12 minutes, tossing the coconut halfway through, until coconut is golden-brown. Turn off the oven and let the toasted coconut cool.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, whisking frequently, as it bubbles and foams. Continue cooking until the butter turns amber-brown, tiny dark flecks appear, and it develops a rich, nutty aroma. Immediately remove the butter from heat and cool until lukewarm.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

When the browned butter has cooled, pour it into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugars and beat with an electric mixer until well-combined. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and toasted coconut. (Dough will be slightly crumbly.)

Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon-sized portions and roll into balls. Place the balls on a dinner plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the chilled dough balls onto lined or greased cookie sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are set and tops are no longer shiny. Err on the side of under-done! If cookies are too puffy, slightly flatten each warm cookie with the back of a spatula. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

(Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

Today I have a very special post for you. (And no, I’m not talking about fact that these bars contain shortbread, caramel, cookie dough, and chocolate, although that is pretty special.) I’m pleased to report that this is….drumroll please….the 100th post of Emma’s Baking Addiction! Funny enough, it falls almost exactly on my blog’s one-year birthday. Two landmark events for a baking blog equals two excuses to bake two fabulous, over-the-top celebratory treats. First up are these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars, a worthy candidate for my 100th blog post.

When I first started thinking about what to make for the big 1-0-0, Millionaire Bars came to mind. You know, the shortbread-caramel-chocolate layered bars that are very similar to a homemade Twix? That are apparently so good that they make you feel like a million bucks? Or are worth a million dollars? Make you gain a million ounces? Don’t ask me how they were named. I guess it was something about the fact that “one hundred” and “one million” are both numbers that made me think of baking Millionaire Bars to celebrate the 100th post. An obvious connection, right? Right? Maybe-possibly-not-so-much? It made better sense in my head.

Anyway, upon looking for a great Millionaire Bar recipe to make as my 100th post (which, as we’ve established, makes total sense) I found the recipe for these babies. Not just Millionaire Bars, these are Billionaire Bars. Which means they’ve gotta be good. Not only do they have the buttery shortbread, gooey caramel, and decadent chocolate of their lesser-valued cousin, these bars have the brilliant addition of a chocolate chip cookie dough layer. An eggless chocolate chip cookie dough layer, that is, which means it can be eaten raw with absolutely zero worries or frets. Be still, my cookie-dough-loving heart!

Let’s take a look at what we have here: a bottom layer of crumbly, melt-in-your mouth shortbread; a second layer of sweet, sticky caramel (not from scratch, for those of you who are terrified of caramel-making, like me this one person I know); a third layer of raw chocolate chip cookie dough that will make the bowl-licking-dough-sneaking little kid in all of us cry tears of joy; and a final layer of rich semisweet chocolate. Yes, there’s a lot of patience involved as each layer bakes or chills, and yes, there’s the possibility of a major sugar rush afterward, but it’s all totally worth it when you sink your teeth into one of these. They’re better than a billion dollars!! (Just don’t hold me to that if I’m ever actually given the choice, kay?)

I hate to say it, but Millionaire Bars have lost a little bit of their luster to me now that I’ve made these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars. It’s not that I wouldn’t satisfied with the original bar, it’s just…a layer of eat-able chocolate chip cookie dough sandwiched between chocolate and caramel? With a shortbread crust, for goodness sake?! Billionaire status indeed.

Happy 100th post, little blog!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

Yield: 16 bars

For the shortbread crust:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

For the caramel:

7 ounces soft caramels (about 25 candies)

2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the cookie dough:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

For the chocolate layer:

4 ounces good-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8″x8″ glass baking pan and set aside.

Make the shortbread: Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then slowly mix in the flour and salt until combined. Mixture will be crumbly. Firmly press the dough into the prepared pan. Poke shallow holes all over the pan using a fork or a toothpick. Bake the shortbread for 18-22 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack.

Make the caramel: Place the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the caramels are completely melted. Pour the hot caramel over the warm shortbread crust, spreading it evenly. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes or until the caramel is set.

Make the cookie dough: Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and heavy cream, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in the flour and salt until just combined, then stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the cookie dough onto the chilled bars and spread evenly. Refrigerate the bars while making the chocolate layer.

Make the chocolate layer: Place the semisweet chocolate and butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30-second increments on 50% power, stirring in between, until chocolate is smooth and melted. Pour the chocolate over the bars, spreading evenly.

Refrigerate the bars for an additional 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

(Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker, originally from The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook)

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Coconut-lovers, gather ‘round. Chocolate chip cookie-lovers should come on over, too. Today’s recipe is for a chocolate chip cookie like no other. Made with coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar, coconut milk, and shredded coconut, these bring quite the haul in the coconut department. Who would’ve guessed, right? Hah. Although you have the option of using other ingredients in place of some of the coconut ones, all the different coconut-based components come together into a cookie that’s amazingly soft, chewy, and packed with that sweet, tropical flavor. And did I mention they’re grain- and gluten-free?!

Don’t be expecting your average butter-flour-and-sugar-based chocolate chip cookie to come out of this recipe…these Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies have a taste and texture unique to themselves. Funnily enough, both my dad and my brother described these as being “like a cross between a coconut macaroon and a chocolate chip cookie” without any idea that the other had given the exact same description. I guess that means it must be pretty spot-on! With coconut flour as the only dry ingredient (minus the salt and sugar), the cookies are super moist and chewy, and combined with the texture of shredded coconut and the subtle flavor of coconut milk and coconut oil, the macaroon aspect of these cookies really takes off. A dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a generous dose of semisweet chocolate help balance out all of that coconut, creating a wonderful new variety of chocolate chip cookie.

Be aware that coconut flour works very differently than most types of flours. It loooves moisture, and too much coconut flour can make baked goods dry and dense. However, if combined with the right amount of wet ingredients, coconut flour will provide a wonderfully moist, chewy texture as well as a slight coconut essence in the finished product. The two large eggs and the coconut milk in this recipe give the coconut flour all the moisture it needs to make the cookies soft and light rather than heavy and dry. At first it may seem like you’ve done something wrong—the dough will be very runny, more like batter than dough, but if you let it sit for about 10 minutes the coconut flour will work its magic and soak up all that liquid. It kinda makes you feel like a talented scientist, doing all that tricky chemistry. Or maybe that’s just me.

If you love coconut, make these cookies! If you love chocolate chip cookies, make these cookies! If you’re on a gluten-free diet, make these cookies! If you’re a human being with functioning taste buds, make these cookies! They’re macaroon-slash-chocolate-chip perfection.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: about 20 cookies

2 large eggs

1/4 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1/2 cup coconut milk (or almond milk, soy milk, etc.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

2-3 tablespoons shredded coconut, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with baking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the coconut flour, chocolate chips, and coconut until combined. The dough will be quite runny.

Let the dough sit for 10 minutes or until it has thickened to the consistency of more traditional cookie dough (it may still be soft). Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set and just turning golden-brown.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve.

(Recipe adapted from The Lemon Bowl)

Chocolate Chip Gingerbread

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Lights are being put up, Christmas music is appearing on the radio, and the calendar is quickly approaching December. My family and I chopped down our Christmas tree over Thanksgiving break and I’ve started making my Christmas list. My car also smells amaaaazing because I sold three wreaths as part of our senior-class fundraiser and they hung out in my car for a couple days. Fresh pine is about a million times better than any car freshener!

I know it’s only November 25, but I just couldn’t wait to get started on Christmas-y things!  Thanksgiving is over so Christmas is fair game, right? Right.

Start off your holiday baking with this Chocolate Chip Gingerbread! I made it last year and immediately bookmarked the recipe to make again. The addition of chocolate to warm, spicy gingerbread is a match made in heaven, and the tiny pockets of melted chocolate chips are to die for. And the recipe makes two loaves, which means you can give one to a friend! That way you can spread some holiday cheer…and also keep yourself from single-handedly devouring two loaves of warm delicious chocolate gingerbread. Which could definitely happen. It’s a win-win!

Chocolate Chip Gingerbread 

Makes 2 loaves

2 1/2 cups + 2 Tbs all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 cup molasses

1 cup very hot water

1 12-oz package miniature chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9″x5″ loaf pans.

Toss chocolate chips with 2 Tbs flour in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. In a small bowl or 4-cup measuring cup, whisk together the molasses and hot water. Alternately add in 1/3 of the molasses mixture, 1/3 of the flour mixture, another 1/3 of the molasses mixture, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining molasses mixture, and the remaining flour mixture, beating after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide batter between the two loaf pans and bake for 55-60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Tops should be set and firm but not dry. Let bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with whipped cream for a special treat.

(Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe)