Spelt Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The best kind of cookies for me need to have crisp edges and chewy center. These spelt brown butter dark chocolate chunk cookies checked off on the perfect texture, and there was no shortage of molten chocolate puddles in every single bite!

Since the recipe called for melted butter, I went a little further and browned the butter. After browning, I weighted the water loss and added back butter to what the recipe calls for. The brown butter (and probably the spelt flour) added a nice nuttiness and complexity to these cookies.

Spelt Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
recipe adapted from Butter & Brioche
makes about 16 cookies (36-38g each)

100g unsalted butter, browned
130g brown sugar
40g sugar
87.5g AP flour
87.5g spelt flour
1/2 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 egg (about 30g)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
112.5g chocolate, chopped
flaky salt, to top

1/2 egg = approx. 30g

Marou Chocolate from Vietnam

I refrigerated the dough overnight. In hindsight, I should've scooped them at this point before refrigerating.

After refrigerating them overnight, I thawed the dough a bit and portioned them into 36-38g balls. They have gotten too hard for scooping.

1. Place butter into a medium sized saucepan, set over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is browned. Remove from heat and transfer to large mixing bowl. Add butter to make up for water loss weight.Whisk until smooth.
2. Add sugar to butter and whisk until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
4. To butter sugar mixture, add egg and whisk until smooth. Add vanilla extract, whisk until combined.
5. Incorporate dry ingredients to wet mixture, using a wooden spoon to mix until just combined.
6. Fold in dark chocolate chunks until evenly incorporated throughout dough.
7. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in refrigerated to chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
8. Scoop out cookie dough on lined baking sheets.
9. Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes. *8 minutes in, tap baking sheet to deflate cookies. Repeat every 30 seconds for 3 more minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool.

before

after

This is my first time incorporating spelt flour in my baking, and tbh I don't really taste any difference. But eh, mentally I feel less guilty eating 3 of these in one sitting. 

I also tried a tapping method, mentioned in Butter& Brioche's blog post, which is supposed to help spread and melt the chocolate chunks. It added to the rustic and appealing appearance with the pools of melted chocolate. 

Taste: 4.5 stars out of 5
Pretty good as is but will try lowering amount of chocolate chunks, chopping chocolate chunks to smaller pieces, adding chopped nuts and instant coffee powder next time.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
My perfect kind of cookie - crisp outside and soft/ chewy inside.

Enjoy!

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies [vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free]

Been a bit MIA from baking and this blog because there's only less than 50 days until the big day! There's still quite a bit to plan and finalize.. But in all honesty, the blog is neglected not because I don't have time, but I got to watch out for any muffin top forming in the meantime and steered away from sweets!

Wow, a lot has changed since I baked these cookies and drafted this post. It's exactly 30 days from what could've been our wedding. Our wedding is officially cancelled with the current COVID-19 pandemic. The last couple weeks were filled with uncertainty and anxiety for the fiance and I. On top of informing all our friends and family, we had to reach out to our vendors to find best solution for the contracts we have signed and the deposits we have put down.

A lot is still in discussion, but we are at a better mental stage now. All this is unexpected and out of anyone's control. What's most important is health and that we have each other. There's always time to celebrate again in the future.

With a "stay at home" order in California and no wedding in the near future to stay in figure for, let's bake more!

I've been wanting to incorporate more healthy ingredients. And as you read from the title of this post, this is vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and refined sugar-free! It uses everything I already have in the pantry, and it's quick and easy.

 

Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe adapted from Bakerita
yields about 12 cookies

½ cup (100g) refined coconut oil softened
⅔ cup (96g) coconut sugar*
1 large egg room temperature (for vegan/to eat the dough, use a flax egg: mix 1 tablespoon flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water and let gel for 10 minutes before using)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2¼ cups (220g) blanched almond flour
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped dark chocolate
Flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top (optional)

*halved recipe and used 50g coconut sugar

 

 

1. Mix together coconut oil and coconut sugar until smooth. Add egg or flax egg and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
2. Add almond flour, salt, and baking soda to the wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated. Fold in chopped chocolate.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 48 hours).
4. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Use a cookie scoop to form cookies and place on a parchment lined baking sheet; press down slightly. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Bake for about 10 or until just beginning to turn golden brown around the edges.
5. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

The edges of these cookies browned a lot quicker and developed into crumbly crisp skirts.

Taste: 3.5 stars out of 5
Good sweetness and delicious nuttiness from the almond flour
Texture: 3.5 stars out of 5
A bit too crumbly in texture. Crisp edges with a moist center.

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies

Rich, fudgy, and a little chewy on the inside with an exterior that's slightly crisp and firm enough to keep the cookies together. These cookies are perfect for chocolate lovers and those with a sweet tooth! #brookies

Olive Oil & Sea Salt Brownie Cookies
recipe adapted from Butterlust and Nutmeg Nanny
makes approx. 13 cookies

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp hot coffee
1/4 cup (55g) olive oil
1/2 cup (100g) coconut palm sugar*
1 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/8 cup (42g) white whole wheat flour
3/8 cup (45g) cocoa powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1/4 tsp sea salt, for sprinkling

*reduced to 80g and still a tad sweet; reduced to 50g next time.

If you prefer things less sweet, use DARK chocolate chips and UNSWEETENED dried blueberries!

Chill batter in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Scoop, flatten slightly, and sprinkle sea salt on top.

1. In a small bowl, mix together baking soda and hot coffee, set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together olive oil and sugar until well combined.
3.Mix in egg and vanilla extract.
4. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt and beat until a dough forms - it should be the consistency of a thick brownie batter.
5. Add dissolved baking soda and coffee and beat until well combined.
6. Stir in chocolate chips and dried blueberries.
7. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets.
9. Use a cookie scoop to scoop out heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, flatten slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt.
10. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set.**
11. Let cool completely on the baking sheets then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

**My cookies were soft to touch and held its shape at 10 minutes. Baked for an additional 10 minutes to crisp them up.

Baked.

Note that they do spread a little so space them out when scooping.

The batter comes together quickly- no creaming or melting butter. Start by simply pouring some EVOO together with sugar. The batter can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for up to a day. I might have over-baked mine with an additional 10 minutes. At the initial 10 minutes, the cookies were firm but had sticky bottoms. In hindsight, letting them cool completely then would've solve the problem. 

The sprinkle of sea salt is absolutely necessary both for flavor and aesthetic! I can't believe this is the first time I used it with my cookies. The salt is especially wonderful with these indulgent cookies. When the sweetness starts to get overwhelming, the salt hits just in time to reset the palette.

Maybe the bottoms won't stick if I've removed them from the silpat after they completely cooled??Since I already baked them longer, I didn't want them to continue baking out of the oven. I used a spatula to carefully pry them off.

There's a good amount of chocolate chips and dried blueberries in each cookie, making them a bit on the sweet side for me. I would probably sub a 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips with nuts or oats and use dark chocolate chips instead of milk.

Taste: 4 stars out of 5
Rich, indulgent chocolate goodness. Love the balance with the sea salt sprinkles.
Texture: 3.5 stars out of 5
Fresh from the oven, they had a thin crisp exterior and moist interior. Overtime, cookies softened.

Waffle Cookies - Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut

Walter was put to work this past Saturday! He churned out some crispy and light EVOO waffles, delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, grilled cheese, and even fried an egg. I am absolutely impressed with how versatile waffle makers are.

The EVOO waffles turned out just as tasty as my previous blogged Macadamia Oil waffles - light, crispy, and fluffy. I simply replaced macadamia oil with EVOO, used organic coconut palm sugar instead of granulated, and added 1 tbsp flax seed for added nutritional value. You won't be able to stay away from these waffles once you have a taste.

The waffle cookies were a fun experiment, as were the grilled cheese and egg. The chocolate chips that were directly in contact with the waffle maker did burn, but the taste weren't affected much. The burnt parts gave the cookies a smoky caramelized note.

Waffle Cookies - Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut
recipe adapted from 12 Tomatoes
makes 10 cookies

1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (55g) organic coconut palm sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/8 cup (48g) all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup (60g) old fashioned oats
1/4 cup (45g) semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup (30g) chopped walnuts

Step 2: Add wet into dry.

Step 3: Fold in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Step 4.

Cool and enjoy!

1. In large bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar, then whisk in egg and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in increments until well combined.
3. Fold in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts to cookie batter until just incorporated.
4. Preheat waffle iron at high heat, grease with nonstick spray, and place a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough into each quadrant of waffle iron.
5. Cook for about 2 minutes depending on waffle iron's heat setting, or until golden brown and cooked through.
6. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough, re-greasing iron as needed.

These cookies were slightly crisp when fresh and got softer overtime. Either way, they were yummy, and not to mention, super quick to make for cookie craving emergencies. The clean up for the burnt residues were a bit annoying though.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Buttery and not too sweet.
Texture: 4.5 stars out of 5
The oatmeal in these cookies gave them a chewy bite, and walnuts provided the perfect crunch surprise.

And in case you were wondering how my waffled egg turned out..

It worked!