Why is this cookie a celebratory cookie? Because it’s the first cookie I made after having A BABY! Rafa has brought so much joy into our lives and these past four months have been amazingly sweet – and hard. But these cookies made those late night feedings and postpartum crying sessions a little bit easier.
Thanks to our friend Rikki Will for taking these beautiful family photos right around Rafa’s two months. We laughed, Rafa cried, we baked cookies and it was mostly fun. Check her out if you need beautiful photos/portraits taken and are in the Brooklyn/Manhattan area.
Now I can’t make these cookies without thinking about those early months. Every time I start creaming the butter and sugar I think about what he’s going to be like as he grows up. Every time I sit down for a meal and he’s watching I say, “One day you’re going to love (insert food here).” I especially know he’ll love cookies – just like his dad.
These cookies are very chocolatey and not too sweet. They’ve got those brownie edges but they’re soft and bendy. They’ve got just enough salt that you can eat three in a row. Or if you’re Colin, all sixteen cookies in the middle of the night. His favorite line is, “you should have made a double batch!”
Now on to the cookie. When making these, you might think the batter is too sticky – but that’s just how it’s supposed to be. Make sure you refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least three hours) or you won’t get the right texture. The recipe calls for a large egg but if your eggs aren’t large, you should add a tablespoon of water to make sure the dough is moist enough and the cookies spread in the oven. If they turn out high and really hold the “ball” shape, then your egg wasn’t large enough.
ONE NOTE ON WHITE CHOCOLATE! If you’re not a white chocolate person like me, don’t skip the white chocolate chips, please. The white chocolate adds a perfect hint of sweetness that’s welcome in these deep, dark, chocolatey cookies. Because the batter isn’t too sweet, I really think the white chips take these over the edge.
I hope you celebrate something with these cookies because they’re really worth it. And right now, anything is worth celebrating.
Triple Chocolate Celebratory Cookie (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature (if your egg isn’t large, add 1 additional tablespoon of water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate (I use Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 72% dark)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, plus a few more for pressing on top of the cookies before they go into the oven
- Maldon flaky sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, around 3-6 minutes. Add large egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
In a separate bowl add all dry ingredients and whisk. Add dry to wet mixture slowly. The dough should be sticky but if it seems dry, add a tablespoon of water and mix one more time.
Add chopped chocolate, walnuts and white chocolate chips right at the end.
Refrigerate dough overnight (or at least 3 hours).
Remove from fridge and let soften for 5-10 minutes. Scoop onto a baking sheet, press a few white chocolate chips into the top and sprinkle with salt.
Bake for 9-11 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes on the pan and then transfer to a baking rack.
