12 large cookies
DESSERT
Ina Garten Modern Comfort (p. 211)
Unsalted butter - 2 sticks
Egg - 1
Granulated sugar - 1 1⁄2 cups
Light brown sugar - 1⁄4 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 1⁄2 tsp
All-purpose flour - 2 cups
Baking soda - 1⁄2 tsp
Bittersweet chocolate - 8 oz
Unsalted butter - bring to room temperature
Egg - bring to room temperature
Bittersweet chocolate - chop into chunks
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange three racks evenly spaced in the oven.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or by hand), beat the butter on medium speed for 3 minutes, until creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides. With the mixer on low, add the egg, vanilla, and 2 tbl of warm water and mix just to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and 1 tsp salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add the chocolate including all chocolate dust to the batter until combined. Mix well with a rubber spatula.
With an ice cream scoop or spoons, make 12 rounded scoops of dough and place them on a sheet pan. Freeze the dough for exactly 15 minutes, then arrange 4 balls of dough - spaced wide apart - on each of three sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are slightly puffed in the center. Remove the pans from the oven and bang them on top of the stove, until the center of the cookies deflate. Bake for 3 minutes, then bang the pans again, repeating baking and banging every 3 minutes for 18 to 20 minutes total until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. The centers will be lightly brown and not fully cooked. Rotate the sheet pans in the oven so the cookies bake evenly. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt and cool completely on the pans.