I had plans to start a batch of shortbread dough, but I accidentally melted a block of Kerrygold instead of my cultured Banner Butter pucks, so I had to improvise and figure out a cookie to make before the butter finished melting. I hadn’t used my Bensdorp 22/24 this season yet, so that seemed to be the answer.
This cookie is as simple as it gets, adapted from a base sugar cookie recipe that I think originates with Cloudy Kitchen.
Ingredients
227 g salted Kerrygold
43 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Bensdorp 22/24)
200 g dark brown sugar
100 g golden or white sugar
1 egg
Danger pour vanilla extract
240 g all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
For topping: flaky salt (I use Maldon)
Method
Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. While the butter is melting, measure your cocoa powder into the mixing bowl.
Let the melted butter get really hot and start bubbling. Then pour it over the cocoa powder and stir to break up any dry clumps. Hydrating cocoa powder with a hot liquid before making it into a dough “blooms” it, bringing out its full power.
Weigh the sugars into the bowl and stir everything together. Let this cool for a few minutes. During this time I usually make and drink an espresso.
Add the egg to the sugar mixture and stir carefully until well incorporated. Add the danger pour of vanilla extract and stir until the dough is smooth and well integrated.
Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks or clumps remain. Don’t overmix! The dough will be very loose and floppy. This is deliberate.
Using a cookie scoop or your hands, ball up the cookie dough and place it directly onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet. I use a 1.5 tablespoon scoop and I can get a dozen cookies per half sheet pan.
Sprinkle flaky salt on top of each dough ball.
Bake for 7 mins (for small cookies like mine) or up to 11 minutes (for bigger cookies that need longer to set).
I always scoot these cookies for the best soft and chewy texture. They need to be on the less done side for this to work.
Store these cookies airtight. They should stay good for a week.
