Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Chockies from Heaven
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
40 mins
50 mins
1 hour 45 mins
Serves:
30 cookies
Gary created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Series 17. His chocolate chip cookies with dried sour cherries, toasted pecans and a sprinkle of extra salt earned praise from Nigella Lawson for their heavenly taste and admirable restraint. This version keeps his flavors and the chewy center and...
Read more
Ingredients
FOR THE TOASTED PECANS: 1 cup (4 oz) pecans
FOR THE DOUGH: 2¾ cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp fine salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE MIX-INS: 1⅔ cups (10 oz) semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup (5 oz) dried sour (tart) cherries, halved if large
FOR THE FINISH: About 1 tsp flaky sea salt
EQUIPMENT: Stand mixer with paddle attachment Digital scale 3-tablespoon cookie scoop Three light-colored aluminum baking sheets Parchment paper Wire racks
Method
STEP 1: HEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE SHEETS
Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line three light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper; dark sheets brown the bottoms too quickly.
STEP 2: TOAST THE PECANS
Spread the pecans on a dry baking sheet and toast for 6–7 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then chop roughly.
STEP 3: COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Whisk the flour, baking soda and fine salt together in a bowl.
STEP 4: CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGARS
In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy and lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.
STEP 5: ADD THE FLOUR AND MIX-INS
On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix only until no dry streaks remain; overmixing makes the cookies tough. Stop the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, dried sour cherries and toasted pecans by hand. Do not substitute fresh or jarred cherries, which add liquid and stop the cookies reaching a true chew.
STEP 6: PORTION AND CHILL
Scoop 30 balls of about 1¾ oz (50 g) each, checking each on the scale so every cookie is the same size. Chill the portioned balls for 15 minutes while the oven finishes heating.
STEP 7: BAKE A TEST COOKIE
Bake one ball on its own and note the minute when the edges are set and golden but the center still looks pale and puffy. Ovens vary; use that time for the full sheets.
STEP 8: SALT AND BAKE
Place 8 balls per sheet, well spaced, and sprinkle each with a few flakes of flaky sea salt. Bake one sheet at a time for 10–11 minutes. Pull when the edges are set and golden and the centers still look pale and puffy; they will look underbaked.
STEP 9: REST AND REPEAT
Rest the cookies on the sheet for 3 minutes, then move them to wire racks. Bake every following batch on a cool sheet: rotate the three sheets, or run the back of a warm sheet under cold water and dry it. Do not add time to later batches.
STEP 10: COOL
Cool completely. The edges should snap lightly and the middle should bend and chew.
What next?
Tell us what you'd like and we'll send what you pick.
Video walkthrough
Simpler recipe version
Printable recipe
Weekly recipe digest
Instructions
FOR THE TOASTED PECANS:
1 cup (4 oz) pecans
FOR THE DOUGH:
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract(/interesting-ingredients/vanilla-extract)
FOR THE MIX-INS:
1⅔ cups (10 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (5 oz) dried sour (tart) cherries,(/interesting-ingredients/dried-tart-cherries) halved if large
FOR THE FINISH:
About 1 tsp flaky sea salt(/interesting-ingredients/flaky-sea-salt)
EQUIPMENT:
Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Digital scale
3-tablespoon cookie scoop
Three light-colored aluminum baking sheets
Parchment paper
Wire racks
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: HEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE SHEETS
Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line three light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper; dark sheets brown the bottoms too quickly.
STEP 2: TOAST THE PECANS
Spread the pecans on a dry baking sheet and toast for 6–7 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then chop roughly.
STEP 3: COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Whisk the flour, baking soda and fine salt together in a bowl.
STEP 4: CREAM THE BUTTER AND SUGARS
In a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until creamy and lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract.
STEP 5: ADD THE FLOUR AND MIX-INS
On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix only until no dry streaks remain; overmixing makes the cookies tough. Stop the mixer and fold in the chocolate chips, dried sour cherries and toasted pecans by hand. Do not substitute fresh or jarred cherries, which add liquid and stop the cookies reaching a true chew.
STEP 6: PORTION AND CHILL
Scoop 30 balls of about 1¾ oz (50 g) each, checking each on the scale so every cookie is the same size. Chill the portioned balls for 15 minutes while the oven finishes heating.
STEP 7: BAKE A TEST COOKIE
Bake one ball on its own and note the minute when the edges are set and golden but the center still looks pale and puffy. Ovens vary; use that time for the full sheets.
STEP 8: SALT AND BAKE
Place 8 balls per sheet, well spaced, and sprinkle each with a few flakes of flaky sea salt. Bake one sheet at a time for 10–11 minutes. Pull when the edges are set and golden and the centers still look pale and puffy; they will look underbaked.
STEP 9: REST AND REPEAT
Rest the cookies on the sheet for 3 minutes, then move them to wire racks. Bake every following batch on a cool sheet: rotate the three sheets, or run the back of a warm sheet under cold water and dry it. Do not add time to later batches.
STEP 10: COOL
Cool completely. The edges should snap lightly and the middle should bend and chew.
Comments, or questions, for this recipe
Add a new comment