chocolate chewiness
/Last week I bought this cookie from a bakery in Denver.
It had me at first bite.
There was no questioning I HAD to recreate them at home.
The next day, that is what I did.
I didn’t know these cookies had a name, but googled “chocolate chewies” to see what came up. Obviously, Jessica’s blog popped up FIRST! I also remember a similar looking recipe from 101 Cookbooks called “puddle cookies.”
Using both of the recipes, I created two versions of my own.
The light was acting quite nice for this photoshoot, so I continued to snap away and have fun with the light. The great thing about using these cookies as a photo subject, was that they have a lot of character + texture, which makes an interesting photo.
Here I go again with the back light! It’s just so lovely sometimes!
Like a brownie, trapped in a crispy shell, that pulls ever so slightly like taffy.
I think the standard mix in for these cookies are walnuts. I switched things up a bit however, and added cinnamon + walnuts to one version and toasted coconut to the other.
While I’m a huge cinnamon + walnut freak, the toasted coconut version was my absolute favorite.
The texture, the flavor, the butteryness of the coconut…
Must stop thinking about it!
The coconut version came out much flatter, which is what they typically look like. The walnut version must have gotten a smaller egg, as they didn’t spread as much. Didn’t matter though, they still turned out!
These cookies are HUGE. About 4” in diameter!
Here is a back lit photo….but I like the next version better with side light.
Ahhh, much better. Funny how much the photo can change, turning the plate + your body 90 degrees!
This is with side light and a light bounce and I don’t like it at all!! It looks washed out to me.
Look at that chew!
Now look closer. ;)
The coconut version dominates in size!
The day that I made these, I caught a complete sugar high! I don’t eat a lot of sweets, especially since starting the detox about 2 months ago. And of all sugars, this recipe uses powdered sugar, which is super sweet. I rarely use powdered sugar [because of how sweet it is + super processed] but sometimes it’s just necessary.
Sidelight
Backlight!
Backlight with a different angle. I prefer the previous photo, by a mile!
I suppose I should give you the recipes?
Cinnamon Walnut Chocolate Chewies [adapted from How Sweet It Is + 101 Cookbooks] yields ~18 cookies
Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chewies [adapted from How Sweet It Is + 101 Cookbooks] yields ~18 cookies
Hope you enjoy!! These seriously helped get me through the crazy house-buying-renovating weekend. I would take breaks of them from morning til night. The texture is addicting!
I’m off to the house this morning to tape around the baseboards and cover the floor with rosin paper. With the wood floors just being refinished, we want to be extra careful, especially while painting. Can’t wait to get started!! I’m so very excited to get new color up on the walls. I’m one of those weirdoes that likes painting. Although I’ve never painted a whole house. Good thing it’s small!
Night!
Ashley
It had me at first bite.
There was no questioning I HAD to recreate them at home.
The next day, that is what I did.
I didn’t know these cookies had a name, but googled “chocolate chewies” to see what came up. Obviously, Jessica’s blog popped up FIRST! I also remember a similar looking recipe from 101 Cookbooks called “puddle cookies.”
Using both of the recipes, I created two versions of my own.
The light was acting quite nice for this photoshoot, so I continued to snap away and have fun with the light. The great thing about using these cookies as a photo subject, was that they have a lot of character + texture, which makes an interesting photo.
Here I go again with the back light! It’s just so lovely sometimes!
Like a brownie, trapped in a crispy shell, that pulls ever so slightly like taffy.
I think the standard mix in for these cookies are walnuts. I switched things up a bit however, and added cinnamon + walnuts to one version and toasted coconut to the other.
While I’m a huge cinnamon + walnut freak, the toasted coconut version was my absolute favorite.
The texture, the flavor, the butteryness of the coconut…
Must stop thinking about it!
The coconut version came out much flatter, which is what they typically look like. The walnut version must have gotten a smaller egg, as they didn’t spread as much. Didn’t matter though, they still turned out!
These cookies are HUGE. About 4” in diameter!
Here is a back lit photo….but I like the next version better with side light.
Ahhh, much better. Funny how much the photo can change, turning the plate + your body 90 degrees!
This is with side light and a light bounce and I don’t like it at all!! It looks washed out to me.
Look at that chew!
Now look closer. ;)
The coconut version dominates in size!
The day that I made these, I caught a complete sugar high! I don’t eat a lot of sweets, especially since starting the detox about 2 months ago. And of all sugars, this recipe uses powdered sugar, which is super sweet. I rarely use powdered sugar [because of how sweet it is + super processed] but sometimes it’s just necessary.
Sidelight
Backlight!
Backlight with a different angle. I prefer the previous photo, by a mile!
I suppose I should give you the recipes?
Cinnamon Walnut Chocolate Chewies [adapted from How Sweet It Is + 101 Cookbooks] yields ~18 cookies
- 3c sifted powdered sugar
- 2oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1t cinnamon
- 1T vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites
- 2c toasted chopped walnuts
- 1/2t salt
- Preheat oven to 350* and line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Toast walnuts on a baking sheet [don’t need parchment] for about 12-18min, turning once or twice, until lightly browned.
- Let walnuts cool, on a plate in the fridge, while you’re mixing up the batter.
- In your stand mix, sift the powdered sugar in the bowl.
- On a low setting, mix in the cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Still on low, add one egg white at a time and mix until the batter is moist throughout.
- Add vanilla and turn on medium-high until the batter starts to thicken and soft peaks form. This will take just a few minutes.
- Carefully fold in the walnuts.
- Spoon the batter [more like cake batter than cookie batter] onto the cookie sheet. You want to leave a good 2” in between each cookie. I only put 6 cookies on each large cookie sheet, so they had enough room.
- Bake each sheet for 15–17min. The cookies will crack and look shiny when done.
- Let fully cool before moving them from the pan. This allows them to stiffen up a bit inside. If you eat one hot off the pan [believe me you will] the center will be quite soft.
Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chewies [adapted from How Sweet It Is + 101 Cookbooks] yields ~18 cookies
- 3c sifted powdered sugar
- 2oz unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2c toasted unsweetened coconut
- 1T vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2t salt
- Preheat oven to 350* and line large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Toast coconut on a baking sheet [don’t need parchment] for about 10-15min, stirring every 1-2min, until browned. Be careful, it burns quickly!!
- Let the coconut cool in the fridge while you prepare the batter.
- In your stand mix, sift the powdered sugar in the bowl.
- On a low setting, mix in the cocoa powder, and salt.
- Still on low, add one egg white at a time and mix until the batter is moist throughout.
- Add vanilla and turn on medium-high until the batter starts to thicken and soft peaks form. This will take just a few minutes.
- Carefully fold in the coconut.
- Spoon the batter [more like cake batter than cookie batter] onto the cookie sheet. You want to leave a good 2” in between each cookie. I only put 6 cookies on each large cookie sheet, so they had enough room.
- Bake each sheet for 15min. The cookies will puff, crack, and look shiny when done.
- Let fully cool before moving them from the pan. This allows them to stiffen up a bit inside. If you eat one hot off the pan [believe me you will] the center will be quite soft.
Hope you enjoy!! These seriously helped get me through the crazy house-buying-renovating weekend. I would take breaks of them from morning til night. The texture is addicting!
I’m off to the house this morning to tape around the baseboards and cover the floor with rosin paper. With the wood floors just being refinished, we want to be extra careful, especially while painting. Can’t wait to get started!! I’m so very excited to get new color up on the walls. I’m one of those weirdoes that likes painting. Although I’ve never painted a whole house. Good thing it’s small!
Night!
Ashley
