Chunka Hunka Chocolove Cookies

Desserts haven’t really been my thing lately, but when my friend Veronica won a blue ribbon at a fair for my chocolate chip version of this cookie I couldn’t resist playing around and making a chunky chocolate variation.

Be forewarned. This isn’t your average chocolate chip cookie preparation. So please don’t swear at me too much when you discover how many dishes stack up in your sink.

Chunka Hunka Chocolove Cookies
Print Recipe
If milk chocolate is more your thing than dark, swap out the 65% cocoa bar for another 33% one.


1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cups fresh light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups good quality all purpose flour

1 cup walnut pieces
3.2 ounce bar Chocolove 65% Cocoa Content
3.2 ounce bar Chocolove 55% Cocoa Content
3.2 ounce bar Chocolove 33% Cocoa Content



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. Chop chocolate bars into small chunks. Set aside.

3. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat toast the oatmeal stirring often until fragrant and some of the oatmeal is light golden in color. About 3 minutes. Transfer the oatmeal to a food processer and grind until fine and powdery. Set aside.



4. In the skillet, melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat until foamy and lightly golden brown. Strain out solids and place butter in the refrigerator to cool to about room temperature.



5. Spread the walnuts onto a plate and microwave in 30 second increments 2 or 3 times until toasted, stirring in-between. Let the walnuts cool slightly.



6. Mix in a stand mixer the softened butter, browned butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and vinegar into the and beat on slow to combine, and then on high speed until fluffy and lighter in color.



7. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the oatmeal and baking soda and beat for another minute. Next, add the flour half at a time and mix on low speed just until incorporated.



8. Stir in chocolate pieces with all their crumbs and the walnuts with a wooden spoon.


9. With a size 50 cookie scoop or a generous tablespoon, drop the dough onto parchment paper 3 inches apart.



10. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let set on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Makes about 45 cookies.


By Laura Flowers.

Ruth Wakefield, Toll House, and Respectful Enhancements.

My most cherished book is a 1941, fifth printing, of Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes. First published in 1936, Wakefield’s book immediately became a phenomenon, and continued on to infamy through thirty-nine printings. The Toll House cookbook influenced American cuisine at home in big ways and small, but the biggest of course, is the invention of the chocolate chip cookie. It’s difficult to imagine life without this classic cookie in it, but before the 1930s no such cookie existed.

Strangely enough, “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies” were not the star of the book, as the recipe is hidden way in the back on page 216. It’s written plainly, and sandwiched between recipes for “Chocolate Cookies” and “Cocoanut (Coconut) Strips”. I wonder if Ruth Wakefield could ever imagine the impact this cookie would have.

Being an American, I feel I have to tinker with a good thing. I’ve been toying with the Toll House recipe for years, not to change this important piece of history, but simply to enhance all the best of what is there. Below you'll find a scan of the Toll House recipe straight from the book, and my hopefully respectful enhancements to the iconic chocolate chip cookie. Or rather, the “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie”.

To better view the Toll House recipe, or any of the pictures, click the image and it will enlarge onto its own page.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft to the touch
3/4 cups fresh light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar (You won’t taste it, I promise.)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups good quality all purpose flour
1 cup walnuts (Optional, but refer to notes for flour & chocolate changes.)
¾ of a 12 ounce package Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat until foamy and lightly golden brown. Pour into a bowl and wipe out the skillet. Place butter in the refrigerator and cool to about room temperature.


3. In the skillet over medium heat, toast the oatmeal stirring often until fragrant and some of the oatmeal is light golden in color. About 3 minutes. Transfer the oatmeal to a food processer and grind until fine and powdery. Set aside.

4. Spread the walnuts onto a plate and microwave in 30 second increments 2 or 3 times until toasted, stirring in-between. Let the walnuts cool slightly, and chop to desired size.

5. Mix in a stand mixer the softened butter, browned butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and vinegar into the and beat on slow to combine, and then on high speed until fluffy and lighter in color.

6. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Add the oatmeal and baking soda and beat for another minute. Next, add the flour half at a time and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

7. Add the chocolate chips and toasted walnuts. Mix on low until incorporated.

8. With a size 50 cookie scoop or a generous tablespoon, drop the dough onto parchment paper 3 inches apart.

9. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let set on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Makes about 45 cookies.

Notes
1. If omitting nuts, add 1/3 cup more flour to the batter and the whole bag of chocolate chips.
2. Cookies are best baked shortly after mixing the batter together. There is no need to refrigerate the dough.
3. These cookies freeze extremely well after they’re baked. You can take a few out at a time and microwave them. Or just let them thaw on the counter.
4. The plate of cookies was shot with a test batch that included coconut. If you want to try it, toast 2 Tablespoons sweetened coconut with the oatmeal.
5. The cookies were photographed on a 1930s Park Avenue luncheon plate by Anchor Hocking.

Sources
1. Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes.
2. http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/wakefield.html

Recipe changes, pictures, & write-up by Laura Flowers.