Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies are a classic and definitely the first one that pops up in my head when I hear cookies. It’s also a great complement to a nice hot latte, you can dip it in or eat it on its own. There are so many cookies recipes on the internet, especially chocolate chip cookies that it might be a bit difficult to find one that you like or can make.

Transparency is one of the values behind Cafe LA so I want to take this time to post our current chocolate chip cookie recipe. Yes, I said current because it can, it has, and it might change in the future. I will also link where I purchase all my ingredients so you can make them yourself at home. Especially in Japan, sometimes there are certain things that are difficult to find or you need to find a substitute for. At least this recipe is proven with ingredients that are attainable in Japan.

Ingredients: makes 24 cookies

• 200g unsalted butter, softened

• 150g granulated sugar

• 150g brown sugar*

  • I like to “make” brown sugar by mixing together molasses and granulated sugar.

  • 3g molasses to 100g granulated sugar. Mix in a stand mixer until all the molasses coat the granulated sugar

  • You can also opt for all white granulated sugar or purchase brown sugar (link below)

• 2 eggs (The size of eggs matter a bit but as long as you don’t use really small eggs. you’ll be fine)

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I know it’s not metric)

• 360g all-purpose flour

• 6g baking soda

• 6g salt

• 350g 72% cacao chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl (or stand mixer if you have one), cream together the butter (cube the butter so it blends easier) and white sugar. This usually takes 5-8minutes. Occasionally, use a spatula to scrap the sides.

2. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and brown sugar. Occasionally, use a spatula to scrap the sides.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, stirring/mixing until well combined. Occasionally, use a spatula to scrap the sides.

   1. don’t overmix. It will lead to excess gluten development and result in a denser cookie.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

5. Measure 52-55g for each cookie using a ice cream scoop

6. (optional) Chill again in the fridge for a few hours and then transfer into a ziplock bag into the freezer. Then you can make chocolate chip cookies whenever you are craving it. No need to thaw to bake.

7. Bake for 12-14 minutes in a preheated 170C oven, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips:

1. Store in a airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. (longer if you have desiccants. Cookies will be slightly drier in texture but barely noticeable)

2. Everyone’s oven is slightly different so make sure to watch your cookies as they bake, especially the first time. You can also try a test batch of one cookie at a time until you get the perfect timing. You can also adjust the temperature up to 190C but make sure to adjust the time too. There is no one size fits all recipe because of ovens and also the quality of the ingredients.

3. You can make bigger or smaller cookies but make sure to adjust the oven temperature and baking times.

Where to buy:

1. Molasses (Amazon) (You can also opt for all white sugar)

2. Vanilla Extract (Amazon)

3. AP Flour 中力粉 (Amazon) (Yes, All-purpose flour in Japan is called 中力粉)

4. Chocolate Chips (Cotta) (Actually disks, not chips)

5. Brown Sugar (Cotta)

6. Ice Cream Scoop (Amazon) (optional, but helps greatly to shape them properly)

Reasoning: Here are some reasoning to why the recipe is what it is.

1. 200g butter. It’s this amount because this is exactly 1 package of butter in Japan.

2. Unsalted butter is a no-brainer. We want to be able to control the amount of salt we put in.

3. Soften butter creates a more desirable final result in my opinion in terms of spread, consistency, and texture. This is personal preference so you can change it to melted butter or browned butter. (I do like browned butter but it’s quite a bit more labor intensive.) You can find blog posts on the comparisons online.

4. Adding brown sugar after creaming the white sugar and butter mixture. This results in a different texture compared to creaming and dissolving all the sugar. The brown sugar crystals don’t completely dissolve.

5. Baking soda instead of baking powder/mix of soda and powder. There are many blog posts comparing the difference so I won’t go into it but it comes down to how much you want it to rise and/or spread.

6. 72% Chocolate Disks (not chips). I don’t use the “traditional” chocolate chips and this is probably the biggest difference between my recipe and others. I use disks because when they melt in the oven, they melt as one layer which makes every bite the same and super chocolatey. The 72% cacao allows me to control the amount of sweetness in the cookie and also emphasizes the chocolate in the chocolate chip cookie. Most of the semi-sweet chocolate chips you can purchase are usually around 50-58% cacao.

In Conclusion:

If you read all of this, thank you and give yourself a pat on the back. If you are in Osaka and craving for a chocolate chip cookie right this moment or don’t have an oven to make your own, you can order some from our Uber Eats or come down to Shinsaibashi for a cookie (or two). We also sell frozen cookie dough (individually portioned) in bulk so you can bake them at home if you have an oven. Just shoot us a DM if you are interested.

Make sure to bookmark this page so you can come back to this whenever you are looking for a cookie recipe!

If you have any questions about the recipe, feel free to shoot us a message. I am always happy to help.

Erik