Laughing Gull Chocolate Chip Cookies
First, the recipe! Scroll down to read a short story about why I chose the long way today. With love- Karla
by Karl Carey
Cookie Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 cup light brown sugar
- 1/8 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon organic vanilla
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 stick melted unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup chopped chocolate (see recommendations below)
Chocolate Recommendations:
I like to mix three different chocolate types for a balanced but interesting flavor. Choose any three that fit your price range or sound interesting in flavor! See our variety here.
I used:
Naive White Cacao
Taza Cacao Puro
Sol Cacao – Madagascar
Extra Tip:
Usually we don’t recommend putting chocolate in the fridge- but when you are chopping chocolate it can be easier to use cold chocolate, especially if you have hot hands!
Making and Baking the Cookies
*Preheat oven to 350* F*
1.) Combine melted butter with all 3 sugars in mixer at medium speed. (I measure the brown sugar by packing a 1/2 c. measuring cup about halfway with light brown sugar and then filling the rest with packed dark brown sugar.)
2.) Add in vanilla and mix until incorporated.
3.) Mix sifted flour (start with 1 1/3 c), baking soda, and salt in separate bowl and set aside.
4.) Add in egg and mix only until just incorporated. Do not over beat egg.
5.) Slowly add in dry ingredient mix, mixing on medium until combined with wet ingredients. If overly sticky to the touch, add more sifted flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve desired consistency.
6.) Fold in chopped chocolate with a spatula until evenly distributed, being careful not to overmix.
7.) Spoon even dollops onto lined baking tray, leaving ample space between cookies.
8.) Bake 10-14 minutes until lightly golden around edges. (I always rotate the pan halfway through to achieve an even bake.)
As a kid I loved a chocolate chip cookie with milk. As an adult I have come to understand that whipped cream is far superior!
Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Laughing Gull Mom
Fridays are baking days. My 4 year old and I make something delicious to finish off our week with. On this particular Friday I had my heart (and the very full citrus drawer) set on mixed citrus curd- but my little one had a different idea. Chocolate Chip Cookies. I sighed- as I already had tart shells and a large batch of curd ahead of me…but wanted to fill his request. At the grocery store I figured we’d pick up some of those easy to bake cookies- the kind you find in the refrigerated section. I thought to myself “Usually we make everything from scratch, surely this one time can be an exception. Go ahead, make it easy on yourself.” But as I turned over package after package I found the following: Palm Oil, Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, and the always elusive “Natural Flavors”. The chocolate was all highly processed (and most certainly not desirably sourced), even the ‘crunchier’ more ‘natural’ brands were full of fillers and ‘flavors’.
So, back home we went to make cookies from scratch. Using a variety of ethically sourced craft chocolate from around the world gave these cookies more than just a special flavor profile. Chopping the chocolate, getting our hands dirty, and the understanding of each ingredient and it’s purpose added love. At Laughing Gull we are passionate about educating consumers and one of my favorite things to remind people is that our chocolate doesn’t just TASTE better, it FEELS better. While I’m not sure my kiddo would have noticed a difference in flavor, I do think he appreciated the extra time spent together, the fun mess of flour and the several samples of delicious chocolate along the way.
