SMS Rewind - Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

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I did a SMS rewind this week. While the peanut brittle that JoAnn at The Givins Chronicles looks delicious, I was in the mood for chocolate chip cookies and I hadn't joined SMS when they made this recipe.

The trend in chocolate chip cookies these days seems to be to chill the dough before baking. I made a salted butter chocolate chip cookie recipe of David Lebovitz's recently that called for chilling the dough. I get the concept but I'm not sure I'm a fan. I prefer my cookies to be oooey gooey and chilling the dough seems to result in a crisper texture. I did briefly chill the dough as called for in this recipe and then scooped them rather than rolling and slicing them. The first batch browned very quickly and was not what I was hoping for. I smooshed the cookie balls a bit in subsequent batches and baked them for a couple minute less and ended up with better browning and texture. After the baked cookies cooled, I could really appreciate the tenderness of the dough that is a result of the glutens resting prior to baking.

I loved the addition of almonds in this cookie and paired them with milk chocolate chips. All in all, I thought this recipe was great and will use it again when I have a serious hankering for chocolate chip cookies.

To check out what the other SMS bakers did this week, go here!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Toasted Almonds

The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

1/2 cup whole natural almonds, toasted (See below)
10 TBS unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 2/3 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz. best-quality semisweet (58%) chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

(1) Roughly chop the almonds into large pieces.

(2) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat for another minute.

(3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

(4) With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three batches, mixing until no flour is visible after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

(5) Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the almonds and chocolate. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour. (If you’re really impatient or hungry, spread out the dough on a tray or cookie sheet, lay a sheet of plastic wrap flush against the surface of the dough, and freeze so it chills up fast.)

(6) Once the dough has chilled, turn it out onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Roll each half into a log about 12 inches long. Refrigerate the logs for at least 30 minutes before slicing. (At this point, you can wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 1 month.)

(7) Cut the logs into 1-inch slices, and place them about 1 1/2 inches apart on each cookie sheet. Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, or until the centers no longer have a glossy look of raw dough. They should be chewy, so do not overbake.