Hi everyone, Happy New Year! Is anyone else freezing their bum off? Out here in BC, we got a cold snap this week. I am ready to cozy up with my pups. But before I do that, I know I owe you a recipe. So, how about a delicious cookie to sweeten the deal?
Yes, I know there are a million cookie recipes, but have you heard of the Canadian twist to the classic chocolate chip cookie? In fact, not only is there maple syrup in this cookie but also the new baking trend of browned butter!
My picky-eater fiancé loves these cookies so much that he wouldn't even share them with his coworkers! I hope you take a chance on this cookie recipe just once. I'm sure you won't regret it.
Canadian Chocolate Chip Cookies *
Total Time: 2 hr 10 min Baking Time: 10-12 minutes Makes: 24 cookies
Ingredients
1 cup of butter, cubed
2/3 cup maple syrup
Two large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of Himalaya salt
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 1 cup of semi-sweet and 1 cup of dark chocolate chips)
Instructions:
In a small saucepan pan, put the cubed butter in a pan and melt on medium/low heat. Bring the butter up to a simmer and whisk occasionally. Once the butter melts and becomes a caramel colour, vigorously whisk the bottom to scrape the brown bits up and turn off the heat.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the pot and whisk the two ingredients together.
Allow the butter mixture to cool on the stovetop for half an hour before transferring the pot into the fridge to speed up the cooling process. Refrigerate the pot for another half hour or until the liquid is cool enough to incorporate into the dry mix.
While you wait for the butter mixture to cool, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift in the flour and mix with baking soda and Himalayan salt.
Once the butter mixture has cooled, whisk in two eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl and cream together. Add the chocolate chips last and mix.
Cover the mixing bowl and place it in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour or until solid.
When the batter is solid, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F.
Using a spoon, scoop up the batter and roll it to make approximately 1-inch balls. Place on the lined baking sheet and space them 1-2 inches apart.
Place the baking sheets on the middle rack of the oven (never on the top!) and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
Check that the cookies have been baked thoroughly by using a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's good. If not, leave it in for another minute or two, then turn off the oven and leave the cookies in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool before dipping them into your drink of choice!
Some Tips and Tricks:
Butter: Of course, you can use whatever butter you like. My preferred butter is Gay Lea's Bakers Gold. I'm no butter expert, but it works like a charm!
Maple Syrup: I know many of you would be surprised by how little sweetener I use. And I have to say this is probably due to my childhood with my mother cutting the sugar content of baked goods in half and watering down juice. She couldn't have us kids hopped up on sugar! If you have more of a sweet tooth, go for a full cup of maple syrup. It won't cause you to go into a sugar coma.
Sifting the flour: Now, this is an odd one. Sifting flour for cookies does seem like a tedious task. But all flours that compact and sit for a long time get dense and clump. Spending extra time sifting it into the dry mixture will allow for better distribution and create a fluffier texture at the end of the baking process.
Chilled batter: Chilling the batter before baking is new to me. I've seen it many times in other recipes, but it seems to be the secret to
Middle Rack Only: I am strictly serious about this one! Sure, it's hard to screw up a cookie, but one thing I did test was putting a tray of cookies in the middle rack versus the top rack. Because we have a gas oven at home, the heat from the top quickly flattens it to pancake height! I'm unsure if it's the same with an electric oven, but I wouldn't risk it if you want perfectly risen cookies with a lightly crisped bottom.
Post-baking oven rest: Baking cookies can be tricky to know when they are complete, depending on the oven temperature and baking time. The toothpick method is a classic baking tool to see if the batter is still raw. If it comes out clean, it's good. If it still has batter stuck to it, it needs a few more minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean but the top looks under baked, it can be unsure if it's still raw. At that point, I like to turn off the oven and leave it in the slowly cooling oven for five more minutes so the top batter isn't wet without risking burning the bottom.
And there you have it, a delicious cookie that'll satisfy your taste buds! Enjoy your tasty treat on these cold winter days. I certainly will.
*Normally, I would put a serving size and cost, but in this case, who cares! Enjoy your treat. You deserve it.
Until next time, stay well!
Chloe
RHN, CH,& CPT
コメント