Chocolate Chip & Chunk Cookies

 Quite a while ago I posted Alton Brown's recipe for "The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookie. I was very much satisfied with the recipe and it ended my quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie that had been in progress since before I started this blog. Since then I've moved on to other types of cookies and have all about forgotten my search. Then I saw a recipe for cookies on Food Gawker that led me to Babble's Family Kitchen blog which is updated by several lovely food bloggers and has become a recent favorite of mine. Brooke, who posted the recipe, made a pretty wild claim, "This is the recipe to end all recipe hunting." When someone makes a claim like that, I have to verify if it's true. So I went out to the store and bought the entire one pound of chocolate the recipe calls for and got to baking. The results can be read mostly below in my Recipe Rundown but I have realized that these quests for the "perfect" version of a well-known food are futile because in reality, there is no perfect recipe. My tastes and preferences are constantly changing, along with everyone else's. What is nearly perfect to one person might be repulsive to the next. Luckily though, that one pound of chocolate didn't go to waste because these cookies were quite close to perfection. The only thing I didn't love was how flat these cookies ended up being. I like my chocolate chip cookies to have chewy thickness to sink my teeth into. Even with that small gripe, these cookies are the current favorite in my house.

Recipe Rundown
Taste: These cookies have a warm, balanced sweetness thanks to the granulated and brown sugar combination. The whole-wheat flavor adds a slight nuttiness without having to add any actual nuts which is perfect (I enjoy my desserts sans-nuts). The cookies also have a subtle chocolate flavor all over thanks to the finely chopped pieces but every other bite a gooey chunk of chocolate coats your tongue with luscious confection.
Texture: These cookies are more flat in shape than I was expecting but still manage to possess enough of that crisp at the edges while soft in the middle textural perfection.

Ease: The recipe itself is very simple, especially if you have a stand mixer. My only issue is that the dough requires chilling time so it has to be made ahead. I've frozen half of my dough which would make baking these cookies very easy the next time I make them.
Appearance: Cookies will always look deliciously innocent.
Pros: While this dish uses a whole lotta butter, sugar, and chocolate, it utilizes whole wheat flour which is at least a small health victory (right!?). Also, depending on the size of your family, I was able to freeze 3/4 of the dough for later and still end up with a dozen cookies for now.
Cons: I'm not a big fan of chopping chocolate with a blender or food processor because I think it dulls the blades and also heats the chocolate. After a few pulses in my food processor, I finished off the rest of the chocolate pieces by hand with a knife. I think this gave the cookies the perfect balance of finely chopped chocolate and chocolate chunks.
Would I make this again? I actually froze some of the dough from my first batch so I will inevitably be baking these up again!

Chocolate Chip & Chunk Cookies
From Brooke at Babble

• 1/2 pound butter, slightly softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound high quality chocolate chunks, chopped well in a blender or by hand with a knife, or a mixture of both methods (see above)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, cream together butter, sugars, and eggs until very light and fluffy.
2. Add dry ingredients; flours, salt, soda, baking powder and vanilla, and beat just until well-incorporated.  Fold in chocolate chunks.
3. Refrigerate for 2-24 hours before baking.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Roll into tablespoon-sized balls (I like to use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop).
4. Bake in an oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are slightly browned.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly on cooling racks.