BLT-Style Chocolate Chip Cookie
Chapter 5: Cocktails & Desserts
This isn't a delicate pastry. Paying homage to Laurent Tourondel's legendary offering, this blistered cast-iron skillet arrives heavy enough to follow a mammoth beef cut, loaded with puddles of dark chocolate and melting vanilla bean ice cream. Treat your dough like you treat your porterhouse: give it a mandatory 48-hour cold rest to develop complex caramel notes, then subject it to blistering heat until the edges char and the center hits a molten 195 degrees—pass out the heavy steakhouse spoons and eat straight from the iron.
Before you start
Chop the premium dark chocolate by hand.
Avoid pre-packaged chocolate chips; chopping high-quality chocolate blocks yields fine dust that melts into the dough to flavor the crumb, while the large chunks create molten reservoirs of pure cocoa fat.
Ingredients
- European-style unsalted butter1 1/2 cup
- dark brown sugar2 cup
- white granulated sugar2/3 cup
- eggs2 large
- egg yolks2 large
- premium vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract1 tbsp
- instant espresso powder1 tbsp
- unbleached all-purpose flour3 cup
- baking soda1 tsp
- baking powder1 tsp
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- premium dark chocolate1 lb
- flaky sea salt1 tbsp
- powdered sugar1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Brown the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Whisk continuously for 5 to 7 minutes until the milk solids toast, emitting a deeply nutty aroma and rich amber color.
- 02
Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl to cool to room temperature.
Do not wash the skillet; the residual butter will serve to grease the pan for baking.
- 03
Whisk the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and espresso powder into the cooled butter for two full minutes.
This vigorous aeration is critical for the cookie's final chewy texture.
- 04
Whisk in the whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until the mixture is thick, glossy, and falls off the whisk in a thick ribbon.
- 05
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt, then gently fold into the wet ingredients alongside the chopped chocolate.
Use a rubber spatula and mix only until a few streaks of flour remain, ensuring the fine chocolate dust is incorporated alongside the larger chunks.
- 06
Press the dough evenly into the reserved cast-iron skillet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24, ideally 48, hours.
Do not skip this. Cold fermentation is the baking equivalent of dry-aging your porterhouse, allowing starches to hydrate and complex caramel flavors to develop.
- 07
Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake the chilled, uncovered skillet cookie on the center rack for 25 to 35 minutes.
Top the raw dough with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt before it goes in. Bake until the edges are deeply caramelized and pulling away from the sides.
- 08
Probe the exact center of the cookie with a digital thermometer to confirm it has reached precisely 195°F to 200°F.
At this exact temperature, the structure is set but the center remains gloriously gooey. Pull it from the oven immediately.
- 09
Flash the skillet under a high broiler for 30 to 45 seconds to blister the chocolate pools and lightly char the top.
Keep your eyes locked on it. This mimics the intense 1,700-degree crust of a Peter Luger steak.
- 10
Rest the cookie in the skillet for exactly 15 minutes before dusting heavily with powdered sugar.
The cast iron retains massive heat and will carry-over cook the dough. Serve directly in the skillet, tableside, ideally with massive scoops of unsweetened Schlag.
Notes
The Authentic Steakhouse Schlag.
Instead of store-bought ice cream, whip 2 cups of extremely cold, high-butterfat heavy cream in a chilled stainless steel bowl until stiff, cloud-like peaks form. Do not add sugar or vanilla—the utter lack of sugar provides a luxurious foil to the intense espresso-laced cookie.
The Perfect Espresso Martini Pairing.
In a Boston shaker filled with dense ice, violently shake 2 oz premium Vodka, 1 oz hot fresh-pulled espresso, 0.5 oz cold brew coffee liqueur, and 0.25 oz simple syrup. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with exactly three espresso beans.