Thick n chewy chocolate chip cookies

Another cookie recipe for the collection! This one produces a perfectly textured, thick (not puffy!) cookie with a crisp exterior and a tender interior. Plus puddles of melted chocolate. Yes yes yes.

Lifted from the excellent recipe from smitten kitchen, adapted here for the Euro crowd.

• 115 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 115 grams white sugar
• 1 teaspoonful of dark molasses (this is key! do not skip)
• 1 teaspoonful of ground bourbon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Heaped 1/4 teaspoon (or, technically, 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon) fine sea or table salt
• 200 grams medium-protein flour, e.g., Halbweissmehl or Weizenmehl 550
• 200-225 grams dark chocolate, chopped into roughly 1/2-inch chunks

Heat oven to 180C.

Beat together butter, sugars, molasses, and vanilla until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes with electric mixer or kitchen machine. Beat in egg. Beat in baking soda and salt. Turn off the beater and use a wooden spatula to mix in the flour until just combined (if the dough looks crumbly, that is okay). Fold in the chopped chocolate.

Shape into cookie sized balls and arrange on baking paper on a baking sheet. Make sure to leave a good 10cm between cookies (avoid them running together, amoeba-like).

Bake 8-12 minutes, until the edges are looking brown and crisp but the insides still soft. Don't overbake! They'll continue to firm up a little on the hot pan when removed from oven. Let rest on pan for at least 5 minutes before removing for cooling or eating.

Pro tips:

• Get a cookie scoop thing! They are amazing.
• Don't chop the chocolate too fine! Big chunks make nice big pools of melty chocolate.
• White sugar + molasses can be replaced with American brown sugar if it's available.
• Consider sprinkling with sea salt before popping in the oven. If you're into that.
• You can either bake these straight away, or rest the dough in the fridge first (for 30 minutes up to a few days). I've done both and they turn out great. If resting the dough, scoop the batter into cookie-sized balls before nestling them into a plastic bag and tucking them into the fridge. Then no wrestling with hard, cold dough when you're ready to bake; can just arrange them directly on the pan.