Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Goo Goo Cluster Recipes, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Nashville Recipes, Cookie Recipes, Chocolate

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

This summer heat is working me over like crazy and even the sweat beads on my brow are becoming frustrated. Its like the sun has a vendetta and its unleashing hell and taking names, literally. But as far as  I’m concerned it could never be too hot to eat chocolate or break into a textbook chocolate chip cookie. Chocolate chip cookies are my sacred-kind of childhood snack and you may call me a snob when it comes down to it. I mean, cookies run rampid on the inter webs, being stuffed with nutella and laced with truffles for the so-called ‘real foodies’ but you can keep those. I’m somewhat of a purist when it comes to the circular, sometimes amoeba-shaped little puckets that pair so well with cold milk and shakes alike. Yes, milkshakes and cookies are sheer perfection, just ask my inner eight year old, he’ll tell you all about it.

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies,  Cookies, Chocolate Recipes, Nashville Food Bloggers, Bloggers, Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Goo Goo Clusters were the equivalency of currency in our home and a treat to be savored upon the completion of one’s chores. My mother kept them tucked into the third shelf of what was better known as the snack cabinet. There were bags of Doritos, Moon Pies, Oreos and Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies, because those were my dad’s vice along with bottled coke.

I remember being in the line at the grocery store and spying the sweet treat laced with peanuts and dipped in chocolate sitting snug in the silver packages on the shelf. They were always calling my name and appealing to every desire in my four and a half foot being. Whenever I received my allowance I typically bought whatever I saw first because the money was ‘burning my pockets’ as my mom would say,  and back then you could find the Goo Goos three for a dollar. So quite naturally I bought six.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I find joy in partaking in the most simplistic forms of dessert. I have a great appreciation for those creatives who taking something ordinary and make it extra-ordinary, but at the heart of it, all I desire is the textbook chocolate chip cookie, a moist slice of chocolate cake with the perfect amount of frosting, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and maybe a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce. I went on the search for a cookie recipe that gave me the crunch around the edges, the chew in the center and the cookie that when you bit into it, nothing else matters and just for a moment–for a brief and satisfactory moment, you are the only person that matters. And I hope to give that to you today with these cookies. Now, remember to read all the way through the recipe before you begin, and definitely space your cookies the three inches apart because the nougat and caramel will cause your cookies to spread significantly, but thats not a bad thing in this case. Enjoy.

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melt slightly & allow to cool slightly
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Nielsen Massey vanilla
2 cups chopped Goo Goo Cluster chunks (Original & Supreme)
1/2 cup of %60 cacao bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cover your sheet pans with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.

3. Beat together melty butter & sugars in a large bowl with a Kitchen-aid mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, but do it gradually so you don’t have a mess on your hands, about 2 to 3 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg with a fork in a bowl & add 1 3/4 tablespoons of it plus 2 remaining whole eggs to the butter mixture, beating with mixer until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in the flour mixture until just blended, then stir in Goo Goo chunks & chocolate chips.

4. Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each cookie, placing the portions 3 inches apart, on 2 baking sheets. Flatten mounds into 3-inch rounds using moistened palm of your hand. Form remaining cookies on additional sheet pans.

5. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Remember that oven temps vary so keep an eye on your cookies. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool and continue baking off the rest of your batter and cook it off.

Note: I have tried this recipe after dough has been frozen so I’m not sure how well it would work out but if you try it let me know!

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Peanut Butter Chocolate Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies More than the perfect chocolate chip cookie filled to the brim with chocolate-y goodness, a crispy rim and a chewy center is a chewy center. This has always been and always will be my favorite part of any cookie. So you crispy cookie people may want to move on. As a child, I endured the crunchy rim and saved every last moist bite of the center until the very end. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap was the perfect opportunity for me to flex my cookie making abilities and create this idea cookie that had the perfect chew.Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

But enough about my love for chewy cookies, let’s talk about the cause! The Food Blogger Cookie Swap was created by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen to benefit Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. I’m beyond flattered to be apart of such an awesome cause seeing as how my father-in-law and wife both fought cancer and live to tell the story. It’s a beautiful thing when my love for dessert can be used to fuel research for such a life-threatning illness. And not to mention, the thought of receiving three dozen of cookies is a no-brainer, yes please!Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap

I was thrilled like many other bloggers to receive my holiday inspired cookies and I’m already looking forward to next year. I mean, who doesn’t want cookies in their mailbox?Below, I have shared a photo of the cookies I received with a link to the blogger from whom it came from as well as a recipe for cookies! So I hope you enjoy and think about participating next year, you won’t be sorry.

 

Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter softened
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Tucker’s Nut Butters (Cashew Butter)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey vanilla
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces %67 Olive & Sinclair Chocolate (chopped)
3 Tablespoons Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a non-stick cookie sheet or silicone mat.

In a standing or electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until fluffy. Add in the cashew butter and peanut butter to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Add it slowly to the wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or lined Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Break up the almond paste and add to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop. You can make your cookies larger or smaller if you like but remember to change cooking temp accordingly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are just a light golden on the top and outside and slightly undercooked in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. And try to contain yourself, they are ridiculously delicious straight out of the oven, not that I’d know or anything…

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Peppermint Blossoms via @stracciatellabella. You can visit her at http://www.stracciatellabella.blogspot.com
Butter Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Butter Cookies via @kelly_ldbaking. You can visit her at http://www.longdistancebaking.com

 

Gingerbread Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Ninja-bread cookies via @norhang. You can visit her at http://www.frommetovuu.com

 

Three Decades and Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies I simply don’t know where to begin. It’s been thirty-years of life here on this earth, breathing in this air , writing down my thoughts in books with tattered and torn edges. Thinking about ways to make life one big coffee break on a patio in a foreign country, or maybe just in my own backyard? What is age truly? Simple numbers on a piece of paper awaiting to be marked off in a brisk motion lined with disdain and contempt for yet another year of aging? Or maybe I’m being a bit dramatic?

It’s been thirty years, and in those thirty-years were born my insatiable love for food–I mean chocolate. I’m not sure what to share with you. I feel as though at times my life has been such a roller coaster ride–one in which I wanted to get off of many-a-time. But I can truthfully say that “I wouldn’t change a thing.” And yes, I’m fully aware of how cliché that statement is but it’s too late to drink coffee and wait for fresh phrases to surface.

If you look back over your past and find that there are things that you desire to change. You end up living a life stuck in the past and you become a victim of your past mistakes–living like this can be debilitating and you’re worth more than that, I’m worth more than that. Life is to be learned from and we are only to focus on the future not the past. I’m looking forward to what the next three decades will bring. I mean, just in the last ten years, I found my beautiful wife, we fought cancer, moved to Nashville where we have successful careers and purchased our first home. Now, I’m not insinuating that life has been idea, there’s a whole slew of bumps in the road, grey skies and unplanned events that are meant for another post. But that’s enough ranting for now, let’s talk cookies.Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

My wife, Jenna, is no baker and she refuses to pretend to be and I’m ok with that because if need be, my girl can bake break-apart cookies like a champ. She’ll tell you that her mom tried to get her in the kitchen and she declined with pleasure every-time. So I wasn’t surprised when she walked in the door with one of my favorite desserts, chocolate chip cookie cake! Ahhhh, it’s a beautiful thing and has been one of my favorite birthday gifts since I can remember and oh yeah, I occasionally get a jones for Pillsbury funfetti or strawberry cake. Guilty!…judge away!(#noshame).

I feel like I have been blessed beyond all that I deserve. God has been so good to me despite my constant neglect of Him in my life from day-to-day. You know, when you feel as though life is just too busy to stop and pray or simply tell Him thank you for that brisk wind beneath your chin. Life is a thing of beauty and I look forward to another three decades of taking it all in, appreciating the little things more often and stopping to say, thank you for a life I never could’ve created.

So clearly, my wife and I are fans of chocolate. It’s safe to say if dessert comes up in conversation, we’re typically on the same page unless I’m having a gummy candy craving. But these chocolate chip cookies have been taunting me from Food52 for quite some time now. I’m always keeping my eyes peeled for the perfect chocolate chip recipe that doesn’t need a ‘secret ingredient’, just the perfect balance of sweet and savory as it should be. There’s not a whole lot of things more satisfying than a well-executed textbook chocolate chip cookie and I know–I know, we could go around and around about salty over sweet and dark over milk, crunchy over chewy. But the truth is–for me, the ‘perfect’ chocolate chip cookie gives a little when you apply pressure with your finger, like a ripe avocado. The edges shatter and leave a trail of salty and bitter tip-toeing around your palate and last but certainly not least–the chewy center. I remember as a child eating the edges of the cookie first and the slow destruction of that chewy center always left me longing for one. more. cookie.

And this recipe I’m sure will leave you with the same nostalgic feeling of course, you must change some of the wording and make the story your own, so on and so forth. Enjoy these as much as I did last night. The last. day. of twenty-something.Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Salted Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups French Broad Bar Chocolate (coarse chopped)
1 cup large bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup salted & toasted whole almonds, coarse chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
2 River Cottage Farm eggs
2 teaspoons Nielsen Massey vanilla extract

pre-heat oven to 375° F. Sift flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Set aside. Mix together coarse chopped chocolate and chopped nuts. Set aside. On medium speed in a standing mixer, with the wire whip attachment, cream the butter and sugars until well mixed and light (you’ll notice a change in color). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add one egg. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add second egg. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides. Add vanilla. Mix for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides.

You’re going to add the sifted flour mixture in 4 rounds, stopping before adding the final round. For the first 3 rounds, mix at low speed just to combine, scraping down the sides between each addition. When you get to the final round of flour, add the chocolate chip/nut mixture. They will get a bit crushed. That’s okay. Mix until there’s barely a trace of flour visible. Don’t over-mix. Sometimes, it’s better to be safe and do the final bit of mixing by hand. Set up a sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake one tray at a time or they will all cook at different rates. Make them spherical, not flat. The cookie size is up to you. I find the bigger they are, the better ratio you have between gooey interior and crisp exterior. 2 ounces is about right for that. Leave a few inches between the raw cookies. Place sheet pan in the oven. They cook relatively fast at this temperature. I didn’t bother setting a time. My internal cookie alarm is pretty good about keeping track. Somewhere around 8-11 minutes. Make some coffee and wait.

They’re done when they’re brown and crispy on the outer border and raw in the very center. Remove the sheet pan and allow them to cool for a few minutes, then, with a spatula, transfer cookies to a cookie rack to cool. And I must tell you the cookies are even better the next day, so if you can stand it, its worth the wait. If you’re not going to eat them right away, they should be frozen. If you’re not baking them off right away, portion them out with an ice cream scoop, place them on a sheet pan, and freeze them. Once they’re firm, store them in a sealable bag. Works great to bake them off when they’re frozen. Enjoy.

espresso chocolate chip cookies

espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkfulits been a while since my last post and i’m starting to feel as though i’m intruding upon hallowed ground. the holiday season came and is now holding onto the door frame for dear life, slowly dragging its feet as though to resist some inevitable fate. i’m ready for the new year and i welcome it with open arms. like the arms of a child stumbling to its mother in need of security and warmth. in this moment, i feel overwhelmed with the desire to conquer the world, make changes that will determine the course of my future, love harder and acknowledge my shortcomings; with the desire to make the proper corrections. i don’t want this feeling to leave, and my prayer is that i’m not the only one feeling this press to be better than they were the year before. the holidays have given me new perspective and i’m realizing that i am my own stumbling block. but no more. i’m throwing caution to the wind while dancing in rain puddles and swinging around lamp posts…or maybe i’m sitting here with a bowl of soup while simultaneously tweeting and writing this post. it doesn’t matter. the new year is upon us and i enjoyed the time spent with family and friends this holiday season.

christmas was lovely as usual and though the snow came prematurely, the cold chill upon our cheeks still screamed holiday season. spending thanksgiving and christmas in the gatlinburg area always comes with promise of holiday cheer. lights strung for miles, lit trees garnish roadsides and christmas music is in repetition from the shopping center to the gas station. there is a part of me that longs to stay in the comfort of my own dwelling for any given major holiday and surely i’m not alone. traveling in itself feels like work and entertaining family and friends is another job in itself. but don’t get me wrong, i’m not complaining, just stating what you were already thinking. but enough with holiday lamentations, lets talk about these cookies. espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

holiday baking is something we all look forward to every year. your nose involuntarily rises into the air in anticipation for whats beneath that tin lid. pumpkin snicker doodles, cranberry chocolate scones, gingerbread cookies, and the list goes on. its the time of year where consequence for your gluttonous ways go without repercussion (kind’ve). we look for any reason to break out grandma’s sugar stained cookie sheet, toss around the king arthur and chocolate chips, and get lost in nostalgia. well, i hope these espresso chocolate chip cookies bring a little warmth, love and nostalgia to the remainder of your holiday season. i’m looking forward to where two-thousand and fourteen will take us. thank you for following the local forkful and i hope that you’ll continue to grow with me in this place where stories and food collide. be blessed. espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

espresso chocolate chip cookies
an adaptation from smittenkitchen.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fine ground coffee (dark roast)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey bourbon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
12 ounces Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Spray your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

2. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and ground espresso until well blended.

3. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the dry ingredients until just blended.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. I used a 3/4 fl-oz (20ml) scoop for the perfect 3-bite cookie, but feel free to make them the size you prefer. Cookies should be about 1.5 inches apart.

5. Bake your larger cookies for 15/17 minutes, or 10/12 minutes for smaller ones (check your cookies before they’re finished; depending on your portion size, your baking time will vary) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on cookie racks for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!espresso chocolate chip cookies: recipe by the local forkful

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whatever it is you’ve been thinking about today. Stop. Clear your mind and imagine walking barefoot down a gravel road. You can feel the bits of rock press into your heel and nudge between your toes. You hear an unclear voice in the distance. A sound of comfort. A familiar sound. You walk up a set of creaky steps that lead to a creaking porch. The screen door opens as if involuntarily inviting you in. Your nostrils overwhelmed with the aroma of something sweet. The warmth of the oven glides up the side your leg and there sitting atop an old checkered kitchen towel are cookies. Not just any ole cookies. Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. The same ones that you’re parents ate when they were kids. That’s what chocolate chip cookies do to me when I see them. They take me down that nostalgic road to Grandma’s house.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
So naturally, last week, when I went on the search for a chocolate chip cookie recipe. I had to do my research. There are so many cookie recipes out there and a lot of them. Well, just don’t measure up. One might be too salty and another might be too dry or runny. But not here friends. We have the perfect combination of salty, sweet and chewy or crunchy. depending upon your preference. This recipe is an adaptation of The White on Rice Couple’s Recipe. And if you’re not familiar with Diane and Todd’s work, then shame on you. They’re passion for food and photography is truly inspiring. But anyways, enough of me being a groupie. Enjoy these cookies and if you haven’t grabbed a Father’s Day gift yet. Well, you’re welcome.

I made a few changes of my own to this recipe because I was trying to avoid a trip to the grocery store. And well, thanks to this recipe. Crisis averted! I used semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to the dark chocolate. I also used bleached flour but left the baking soda in addition. No harm, no foul. Now off to the kitchen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks unsalted Butter
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  •  3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F (350° for convection ovens)

  1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy or 3 to 4 minutes after you no longer hear the sugar scrape the sides of the bowl. (assuming that you use a  standing  mixer).  Add eggs, vanilla extract, and  salt.
  2. Mix the flour and baking soda together.  Stir into batter, then add chocolate chips and stir until well combined.
  3. Roll into 1 1/2″ thick logs.  If not using soon, freeze the logs for future use, otherwise cut the cookies into equal portions, about  3/4″ thick.
  4. Pat the discs even and circular then place on a cookie sheet or lined sheet pan. Spread your cookies out so they have personal space, no one wants rub elbows in a hot oven.
  5. Bake at 375° F for 8-11 minutes, and check them so that they are still a little undercooked in the center. Unless you prefer a crunchier cookie.  After the cookies cool for a minute, transfer to a cooling rack and grab a glass of milk. You deserve it.