Chapter Eight

Am I Lying?

I could tell you all about this cookie, I could tell you how the center is unbelievably soft and chewy, and that the edges have an actual audible CRUNCH. I could tell you how the almond hazelnut praline compliments every flavor profile in this cookie from the caramelized dulcey chocolate, to the browned butter, to the malted milk powder. I could tell you how it’s probably the best cookie you will ever have, and I know everyone says their cookie is the absolute best, but I guess you’ll never know if I'm lying until you try it for yourself.

This cookie isn't just a regular chocolate chip cookie, it has a few key ingredients that takes it from something already beloved to something out of your favorite bakery. You need to grab these key ingredients to recreate this cookie but I promise they are worth the investment and this will be your go to chocolate chip cookie recipe once you do. The browned butter’s nuttiness and the almond hazelnut praline is a truly magical pairing, and the malted milk just pays homage to those flavors. The base of this cookie is already phenomenal without the addition of the caramelized white chocolate, which, and I can’t express this enough, is the final ingredient that elevates this cookie to close your eyes, and let out an audible “mmm”. If you’re looking for a cookie that brings together amazing flavors to make the beloved chocolate chip cookie even better I promise this is exactly what you’re looking for.

Browned Butter- Browned butter is now commonly found in many chocolate chip cookie recipes but for this recipe it's not just an enhancer for flavor it's an absolute must as the other ingredients all play into the same kind of caramelized nutty flavor. Just heat your butter in your saucepan and take it off heat once it's frothy and the little brown bits are floating around.

Praline Paste- I got this almond and hazelnut praline from Valhorna, the small tub is packed full of flavor for many different recipes but its perfect for this chocolate chip cookie and takes it from regular to boujee. The nutty flavors go well with every other part of this cookie and is an absolute must to make this show stopping recipe.

Malt Powder- I love adding malt powder to cookies because it guarantees those crunchy edges for me, and in this particular recipe it does just that but also adds incredible depth of flavor.

Dulcey Chocolate- Valhorna’s Dulcey chocolate is truly something special, I have yet to find another company on the market that sells caramelized baking white chocolate like Valhorna does. The flavor is exquisite, like a caramel shortbread cookie, with all the amazing taste of white chocolate added in. It’s absolutely amazing and goes so well with any kind of praline but in particular the almond and hazelnut. It just evokes this flavor of a nutty, caramelized shortbread cookie while also being a chewy chocolate chip cookie.