Paper Palate

Every time I take a trip to my local magazine vendor, I am always amazed at the number of publications devoted to food and wine. It seems like every month there’s an addition to the food magazine family. Not that I am complaining mind you. Being a foodie, and a foodie that loves her magazines, I say the more the merrier. One magazine in particular, has always caught my eye and the Paper Palate is now my excuse to buy it. That magazine is Chocolatier.

Published four times a year, Chocolatier is devoted to all things chocolate. It features recipes, book and product reviews, and the latest news in the world of chocolate. What I love about this magazine, besides all the great chocolate recipes and photos of incredible chocolate desserts, is that it can appeal to both the professional and the home baker. There’s something for everyone here.

The February/March 2006 issue is no exception. And the feature that really caught my eye was a review of chocolate desserts and sweets from some of New York’s most famous bakeries. I’m talking about recipes like Better-Than-Brad-Pitt Brownies from the Polka Dot Cake Studio and Decadent Chocolate Cherry Bread from the bakery Amy’s Bread.

Now it would be fair to say that when it comes to cookies, I am a chocolate chip kind of girl. I’ve tried my fair share of chocolate chip cookie recipes, with varying degrees of success. So when I saw a recipe for “Perfect” Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Ruby et Violette it was a challenge that I could not pass up.

Straightforward and easy to prepare, these cookies came together in a snap. The hardest thing about these cookies was trying to pour myself a glass of milk with one hand, while I stuffed the cookies in my mouth with the other. Soft, chewy and oozing with chocolate, they were as close to “perfect” as you can come.

Now about Brad Pitt and those brownies…

“Perfect” Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ruby et Violette

*2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon salt
*3/4 teaspoon baking soda
*1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
*1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*2 large eggs
*1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*24 ounces semisweet chocolate cut into 1/4″ chunks

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350ºF.
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In an electric mixer, using paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add dark brown and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until thoroughly blended, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. On low speed, add eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition and scraping down bowl wiht rubber spatula if necessary. Add vanilla extract and mix on low speed. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add chocolate chunks and mix until well combined. Refrigerate batter until chilled, about 1 hour.
3. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart. Bake for approximately 12-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Cookies are done when they are golden brown around the edges and soft on top. Let cool on a wire rack.

Recipe courtesy of Chocolatier Magazine, February/March 2006.