Perfectly chewy chocolate chunk cookies

Here's our tried and tested recipe, refined over years by the teenagers who love baking

It's currently winter school holidays here in Australia, and our kids have taken it upon themselves to perfect their chocolate chip cookie recipe (to everyone's great delight!). While the ingredients have mostly remained the same as what we've always used, the kids have decided that breaking up dark chocolate bars into chunks make the cookies tastier than using chocolate chips from a package. The quality of the dark chocolate matters too (we think the darker, the better).

Then, when it comes to the method, there are a few important tips that make or break this recipe. First, the kids have decided that when you melt the butter to the point where it is bubbling and starting to get darker, it gives the cookies a more caramel flavour. Secondly, you don't want to over-mix the dough or it turns out less chewy and more cakey. Thirdly, storing the dough in the fridge for at least an hour (preferably longer!) will give a deeper flavour and chewier texture. And lastly, putting a chunk of dark chocolate in the top of the dough balls and sprinkling with flakey sea salt makes them look and taste even better.

This is not a healthy cookie, mind you. Just a good, old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie that is 100% worth the calories and sugar rush!

Here's the recipe for 24 chewy chocolate chunk cookies:

Ingredients

-1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
-1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed (255g)
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup unsalted butter (240g), melted
-2 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
-2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (310g)
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-3 100g bars of dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (or two of these larger 250g bars)
-flakey sea salt for topping

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until well combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula (be careful not to over-mix, which would cause the gluten in the flour to toughen resulting in cakier cookies).
Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least one hour. (For a more intense toffee-like flavour, chill the dough overnight.) The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop (or large spoon) onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 10 cm of space between cookies and 5 cm of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly. Stick one chunk of dark chocolate in the top of each cookie dough ball. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown. Cool on a wire rack. And... enjoy!