Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 280 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g fine sea salt
Butter and Sugars
- 227 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 5 ml vanilla extract
The Vintage Leavener
- 5 g baking soda
- 5 ml hot water, boiling hot
Mix-ins
- 340 g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped from a bar, or use chips
- 115 g walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F and line two heavy-bottomed baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together the all-purpose flour and fine sea salt to ensure even distribution.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the room-temperature unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and visibly paler in color, which takes about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time on low speed, ensuring the first is fully incorporated before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then blend in the vanilla extract.
In a very small vessel, dissolve the baking soda entirely in the boiling hot water. Immediately pour this liquid into the butter mixture and mix on low speed for 15 seconds.
Gradually add the whisked dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches. Mix on the lowest speed just until the flour disappears to avoid developing tough gluten strands.
Using a rubber spatula, vigorously fold in the chopped semi-sweet chocolate and toasted walnuts, scraping the bottom of the bowl to ensure no unincorporated butter remains.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough, approximately 30 grams each, onto the prepared baking sheets. Space the dough mounds about 5 centimeters apart to allow for spreading.
Bake in the preheated oven at 190°C/375°F for 9 to 11 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are a deep golden brown but the centers still look slightly pale, puffy, and underbaked.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the hot baking sheets for 2 minutes to set their structure. Transfer them gently to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Chef's Notes
- Dissolving the baking soda in hot water is the signature technique of Ruth Wakefield's original 1930s recipe. It ensures an perfectly even distribution of the leavening agent and encourages the cookies to spread beautifully without leaving any soapy, bitter pockets of soda.
- For the most historically accurate texture, eschew uniform factory chocolate chips and instead chop a high-quality block of semi-sweet chocolate. The resulting chocolate dust and shards create a beautiful marbled dough and irregular, gooey pockets.
- Always toast your walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes before chopping and adding them to the dough. This simple step drives off raw, astringent oils, dramatically enhances their deep nutty flavor, and keeps them incredibly crunchy.
- Food safety reminder: Do not consume raw cookie dough. Both raw flour and raw eggs carry a real risk of foodborne illness.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store dough in an airtight container; baked cookies can be refrigerated but may dry out
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray before transferring to a freezer bag
