BEST Chubby Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe)

Chewy Chubby Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few days ago, I was moaning to my husband Ed about the 7-day forecast. I was staring down the barrel of more rainy days and trying not to think about my garden and my toddlers and my sanity.

Ed was like, “Rain? I wish! It’s going to be so hot this weekend.”

Um, actually, no. Rain. I grabbed my phone to prove my point. And then I realized I had been checking Anchorage, Alaska weather all week. Huh. It’s amazing how sunshine + 30-degrees can instantly change one’s outlook on life. I have never been so happy to be wrong.

So this recipe may seem a little out of place heading into a 90-degree weekend. Pin it for a rainy day (I have a feeling we’ll have more) or… send it to your friends in The Last Frontier. I actually like baking cookies in the summertime. They can be baked in small batches so it doesn’t involve much oven time and are perfect for packing on picnics, road trips or giving to a friend who needs a pick-me-up.

I originally made a recipe for Edouard’s Chocolate Chip Cookies when it was featured in The Oregonian’s Foodday section several years ago. My family has cut way back on our sugar consumption, so when we eat sweet treats I want them to be worth the splurge. These cookies are worth it.

American cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan, was given this recipe by Edouard Bobin, the owner of a small Paris bistro. It’s a French take on the classic American cookie. He bumped up the amount of unbleached flour and added almond flour to give the cookies a softer, sandier texture.

Plus, this cookie was described as “chubby” which just sealed the deal. Seriously, chubby cookies? And it ain’t no lie. These cookies are deliciously soft and chewy and chubby. The edges are crisp and buttery, with soft, sandy centers. It’s pretty much the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

This was one of those recipes where I just scanned the ingredient list and dove in. I got bogged down in the 9 paragraphs of directions. Wait… I’m supposed to chill, scoop, bake, press, rotate, and bake some more? It has something to do with the wet ingredients soaking up the dry ones, resulting in a firmer dough that bakes up to a beautiful consistency and rich flavor. The original recipe calls for chilling the dough at least two hours or up to 3 days. If you don’t have time or patience, the good news is you can bake these cookies straight out of the mixing bowl with great results.

I decreased the amount of flour and simplified the directions and still baked up the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made. I wrote them with the standard mix and bake directions. Chocolate chip cookies are best warm from the oven, though, so a nice compromise is to bake 1-2 pans at a time. Keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) or scooped into balls in the freezer.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a rainy day in Anchorage. Bake these cookies. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Even if it is 91-degrees outside.

Chewy Chubby Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly adapted from Edouard’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t. salt
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (Salted vs. Unsalted Butter)
1 c. sugar
1 c. packed light brown sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 c. chocolate chips or 12 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. almond flour

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
3. Working in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth and fluffy.
4. Add both sugars and beat for another minute, until well blended. Beat in the vanilla.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing until just barely incorporated. Stir in the chocolate and almond flour.*
7. Scoop the dough into medium mounds using a cookie scoop (or about 1-1/2 tablespoons each) and place on the lined sheets, about 2 inches apart. (You can also gently press each mound down a bit, depending on how thick you like your cookies.)
8. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute on the pan, then carefully transfer them to racks to cool.

* To chill the dough: Divide the dough in half, wrap each piece airtight in plastic film, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours-3 days. Or scoop the dough and freeze it in balls. You will need to bake them a little longer.

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This recipe comes from the cookbook, Baking Chez Moi: Recipes from My Paris Home to Your Home Anywhere by Dorie Greenspan (Amazon).

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