CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH HONEY-ROASTED ALMONDS AND CHILE

 
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FROM ANDREA SNYDER, CO-FOUNDER/CO-DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN DANCE ABROAD

Original recipe from Laurie Ellen Pellicano, The New York Times

 
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Mix until it is all pea size, then add water and mix until a little sticky, but can be rolled out on flour surface with out falling apart. Put into pie shell and bake for about 20 minutes or until brown.

SERVES:
8

PREP TIME:
30 MIN, plus chilling

TOTAL TIME:
1 HR 15 MIN



INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH

1 ¾ cups/225 grams all-purpose flour
¼ cup/30 grams whole-wheat flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1 ⅔ cups/365 grams light brown sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅓ cup/80 grams unsalted creamy almond butter
1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup/170 grams milk chocolate chips (or roughly chopped milk chocolate bar, disc or fèves)
1 cup/140 grams honey-roasted almonds, roughly chopped

INGREDIENTS FOR THE COATING
¼ cup/50 grams natural or organic cane sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
¼ teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red-chile flakes) or similar mild flaky chile, such as Aleppo or silk chile
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, light brown sugar and fine sea salt. Using the paddle attachment, cream for 3 minutes on medium until light and fluffy, scraping the mixer and bowl as needed to ensure the butter is well incorporated.

Add the almond butter and beat for 1 minute until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.

In a small bowl with a fork, whisk the egg and egg yolk to combine. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, stream the egg into the creamed butter until fully incorporated, followed by the honey. Stop and scrape, return to medium speed and beat for another minute.

Add the milk chocolate and almonds to the mixer and set to low speed just to combine. Turn off the mixer. Add the reserved flour mixture, then blend on low just until incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a spatula, fold the dough over in the bowl a few times.

On a parchment-lined baking sheet, scoop rounded tablespoons or 1-ounce scoops of cookie dough. (You’ll finish shaping them later.) Chill the scooped dough in the fridge for 1 hour until firm. (If baking later, freeze scooped dough on baking sheets, then transfer to a resealable freezer bag or container. When ready to bake, remove as many cookies as you intend to bake, let warm slightly, then proceed.)

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange two racks in upper and lower middle positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Prepare the coating: In a small bowl, stir together cane sugar, gochugaru and cinnamon.

Remove chilled dough from the fridge and form each ball into a 1-inch-thick puck, rounding the edges and flattening the top and bottom. Drop each puck in the sugar mix as you go, flipping until fully coated.

Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart (about 15 cookies per sheet). Sprinkle each with a pinch of flaky sea salt, crushing between your fingertips as you distribute it.

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, rotate each sheet tray and lightly rap it to force the cookies to settle. (You should see craggy eruptions on the surface.) Bake the cookies for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the cookies are just golden at the edges but still slightly gooey in the center.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute. Using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.