Here is a new favorite chocolate chunk cookie recipe for you.

Because we can never have enough chocolate chip cookie recipes.

This one highlights one of my favorite ingredients to bake with: brown sugar. I could eat it plain, no lie. 

I also used dark brown sugar, which I love even more. With more molasses than light brown sugar, the flavor is richer and darker.

This recipe actually came about because I wanted to make a classic chocolate chunk cookie with bittersweet chocolate for my sister’s birthday. But, I was completely out of white sugar.

So, a brown sugar chocolate chunk cookie was the next best thing.

This one may be even better than a cookie that uses both white & brown sugar.

The key to making a bakery-style chocolate chip cookie: use very high-quality bittersweet chocolate.  If you load cookie dough with great tasting chocolate, you really can’t go wrong. The cookie will taste good.

I recommend using all bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao or above). Or, use half semisweet chocolate and half bittersweet chocolate. Chopping it yourself gives it that rustic look.

On a daily basis I don’t cook or bake with butter and I avoid gluten. But, there are days when a classic chocolate chip cookie is in order.

And when I am making these cookies to share with others, they are definitely worth the splurge.

Happy baking!

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 14 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar (I prefer 3/4 cup light brown and ¾ dark brown)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups good-quality bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao or above), chopped into chunks (or semisweet or dark chocolate work as well )

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

- With mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture until no dry ingredients are visible. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and bake for about 12-14 minutes, until cookies are very lightly browned around the edges.

• MY TIPS: Cookies may look a bit under-baked at the center, but that is perfect! It will make the perfect crunchy outside and soft middle ratio. Let them continue bake on the sheet when you take them out of the oven. If you want crispier cookies, just bake longer until they are golden all over.

-  Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make some of these for a friend or your family this month, just because.