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When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, my love knows no bounds. I’m game for any variation: earthy, nutty buckwheat cookies with pools of bittersweet chocolate; chewy and almost wholesome with oats, coconut, and seeds; or classic dunk-into-milk worthy cookies—I will happily partake.
With a name like Caramel Crunch-Chocolate Chunklet Cookies, the latest take on the CCC from Dorie Greenspan’s new book Baking with Dorie makes a lot of promises. And with a couple of brilliant moves, it absolutely delivers.
To get one thing out of the way (and assuage any fears), let it be known that there’s no caramel to be found in the recipe. There’s no finicky step of nervously hovering over the stove waiting for sugar to brown with a candy thermometer in hand, no bits of toffee and burnt sugar to clean off pans and countertops. Instead, in this shortbread-style cookie, the caramel flavor comes from the way the cookie dough is baked—not on baking sheets but in muffin tins.
Baking cookies in muffin tins is, quite frankly, a revelation: The all-around heat of each buttered muffin tin well means that the bottoms and sides of the cookies brown completely—you get the flavor of brown butter and caramelized sugar with no extra work. And in the battle of crispy versus chewy, the high walls of a dark muffin tin mean you’re guaranteed dark golden-brown edges with a satisfying crunch and buttery, crumbly centers studded with “chunklets” of chocolate. (Greenspan calls these cookies “shortbread at heart.”) The constraints of the muffin tin also ensure your cookies have no room to spread—they come out tall, chubby, and uniformly round. They’re perfect for stacking, gift-giving, and cookie boxes.
The best part: The technique works for (almost) any type of cookie dough. Want crispy edges on that everything-but-the-kitchen sink cookie? Muffin tin. Need perfectly round cookies to make into flawless stackable cookie sandwiches? Muffin tin. Want the best of both worlds with an almost doughy center but golden edges on some store-bought classic chocolate chip cookie dough? You guessed it: muffin tin. You may need to adjust your bake time a bit from the recipe—depending on the thickness of your dough, the cookies might take a little longer in the oven—but it’s easy enough to gauge when they’re ready: Look for brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center.
Once you realize how easy it is to toss just about any cookie dough into a muffin tin without stressing over them colliding into each other (we’ve all had at least one giant Supercookie mishap), it’ll be your go-to for all of your cookie endeavors, chocolate chip or otherwise.
As for Dorie Greenspan’s genius, her cookbook is full of helpful tips, tricks, and nuggets of friendly guidance: Heavily spiced baked goods are actually tastier the next day! For the best layers, don’t drag or twist your cutter when making scones! Add cottage cheese to your biscuits to maximize tang. Baking with Dorie is so full of baking wisdom, you’ll likely reference it often—but be sure to bookmark those CCCs.
