Spiced Chocolate Chip Cookies

While it is an absolute and undisputed FACT that COOKIES ARE ALWAYS IN SEASON, these cookies are especially in season now. To start, they are big, gooey and chunky like Levain Bakery, there’s melty chocolate in every bite, they have a nice toasty crunch and some seasonably appropriate spices like fresh nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.

Another few winning qualities - they are super easy to whip up, would impress any cookie aficionado or ……keep in a secret stash for a bit of fresh decadence throughout the week!

Ingredients

Makes 6-8 large cookies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar is fine)

1/2 cup very cold cubed butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1.5 cups flour (bread flour, like Organic Bread Flour by King Arthur is my secret to a chewy cookie but all-purpose is okay if you can’t find this one)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated is the best but ground is a-okay!)

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup toasted, chopped pecans

1/2 cup chocolate disks or chunks (My favorite are Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Super Cookie Chips)

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Baking Chips)

Maldon salt for sprinkling

Additional items

Stand mixer or hand mixer

1/3 measuring cup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 420F. Toast the pecans on lined baking sheet for 10 minutes or until fragrant and set aside to cool. Keep oven at temperature for cookies. Reuse the lined baking sheet and set aside for cookies.

2. Place the butter in the freezer for 5 minutes until it hardens a bit and is easier to cut. Cut the butter in evenly sized cubes, put it in a bowl and back into the freezer for another 1-2 minutes.

3. Mix the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices and set aside.

4. Cream the butter and sugars on medium in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer for 3-4 minutes.

5. Add in the egg and vanilla until gently mixed in together.

6. Gradually sift in the flour mix into the butter/sugar until it comes together. It will not be very creamy, and will be falling apart a bit.

7. Stir in the chocolate chips and toasted pecans until they are distributed. Oil a 1/3 measuring cup then pack the dough into the measuring cup. Flip the measuring cup to dispense the cookie dough on the lined baking sheet and pack the dough back together with your hands. It should come together like a little mound. Continue doing this until all 6-8 cookies are formed. (Store them in balls in the freezer if you don’t want to cook them all in one night!).

8. This will depend on your oven but bake in the center of your oven at 420F for 8-9 minutes max. Since oven temperatures vary from what you set them as, I start checking my cookies at 7-8 minutes and pull them out by 8-9 minutes. They should be a soft, a little golden but doughy in the middle and not dried out. Allow them to set for 5-10 minutes (hardest part!). Once set, sprinkle with Maldon salt and then enjoy the decadence in every bite!