Chocolate chip sablè cookies

Out of the millions existing recipes for chocolate chips cookies, I want to share my favorite one. Even if, to be honest, these cookies are not proper "chocolate chips cookies", as they do not have the peculiar characteristics of this much loved family of cookies: crisp (less or more depending on the recipe) at the edges with a softer, chewy interior (same comment as before). No; these chocolate chip cookies have a more friable, crumbly texture and for this reason I called them sablè, to distinguish them from the iconic American cookies. It's not that I don't like the traditional choc-chip cookies; on the contrary I enjoy trying different versions of them, in search for the impossible-to-find perfect one, and also I always take note of new interesting recipes whatever the source is (blogs, magazines, cookbooks, friends, ...). To try them all I should bake a batch of cookies every single day! On this blog I have already published the recipe for a traditional chocolate chip cookie by French pastry chef Christophe Michalack and that for a chocolate chip cookie-cake; it is finally the time to share one of the cookies I make more often.

The recipe author is one of the most famous Italian pastry chef, Maurizio Santin (sorry but his website, except for the name, is in Italian), whose creations are usually amazing, even if sometimes a bit challenging for home-patissiers. This recipe (that I have lightly adapted) is instead very easy to make and always much appreciated by both children and grown-ups; actually, based on my experience, they don't last long if there are children around. And the other good thing is that, as the result is much better if the cookie dough is cold and firm, the dough can be made in advance, shaped into logs and kept in the freezer until you are ready to bake your cookies: they are perfect in case of unplanned visits in the afternoon or after dinner, for a sweet breakfast (paired with a cup of milk) or just when craving for something sweet (but not too elaborate). And in fact, having a look into my freezer it is likely to find a couple of logs of these cookies, just waiting to be baked.

Chocolate chip sablè cookies

makes about 50-60 cookies 

160 g butter, softened (200 g in the original recipe) 

170 g granulated sugar (200 g in the original recipe) 

370 g pastry flour (or 320 g all-purpose + 50 g corn starch)

1 egg

1 egg yolk

5 g baking powder

2 g baking soda

1 pinch sea salt

seeds of one vanilla bean (or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)

250 g dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)

Sift together the flour (and corn starch if using), baking powder and baking soda.

In a big bowl whisk the soft butter with sugar and salt until creamy and smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix to amalgamate. Add the flour mixture and incorporate, then mix in the chocolate chips.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to one hour. Remove the dough from the fridge, turn it onto a work surface, divide in four even parts and shape each into a log that is about 3 to 4 cm in diameter (consider that cookies tend to enlarge in the oven). Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. Alternatively I prefer to place the logs in the freezer and extract them about 15 minutes before baking. The rest in the fridge or freezer stabilize the dough with the result of more friable cookies; besides it will be easier to cut the dough into cookies.

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1,5 cm thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them;  don't worry about that, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie; they will turn well after baking) Arrange the rounds, evenly spaced, on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 8 to 10 minutes until slightly golden; when you remove them from the oven they shall look uncooked and not firm. As soon as they firm a bit, with the help of a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

Notes

·         The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, remove from the freezer 15 minutes before baking.

·         Do not over-bake the cookies; they should be soft when removed from the oven because tend to harden after cooling. Baking them too long you will have crispy cookies.