Today I’m skipping the chitchatty preamble and going straight for the flowery recipe description that you probably roll your eyes at because these Chocolate Chunk Almond Cookies are SO GOOD that I actually googled iambic pentameter, wondering if that I do them descriptive justice (I couldn’t).
So here’s what you’re looking at:
Nutty shards of toasted sliced almonds are nestled with melty, coarsely chopped dark chocolate chunks in crispy-edged, chewy-middled, almond- and vanilla-spiked cookie perfection.
They’re the ultimate chocolate chip cookies – golden, perfect chew – with almonds. Sliced almonds, specifically – this means they don’t overwhelm the cookie, but they have this insanely addictive little snap when you take a bite.
The almond slices are toasted before you start, as this dramatically enhances their nutty flavour. For chocolate, I chopped up good 70% cocoa bars – this makes a night-and-day difference compared to using bagged chocolate chips. The base is a chocolate chip cookie dough, with a splash of almond extract in addition to the vanilla.
It’s important to stir the toasted almonds in by hand, because the standing mixer will crush them into the batter, and you want them to remain intact as much as possible.
I really like using convection for making cookies, because the blast of the fan helps to give the cookies an initial rise, so they set up before they spread out. I like what this does for the texture and thickness of the cookie.
Tips for cookie presentation: scoop the dough, then roll it between your palms into a perfect ball for the best shape. Make sure to leave enough space for spreading – don’t try to cram as many onto a sheet as possible, to do fewer batches. And finally, reserve a handful of the stir-ins (in this case, chocolate and almonds) to gently smush onto the tops of the cookie balls before baking for an attractive finish (this last one is a nice tip for many baked goods – muffins, scones, quickbreads…).
Go nom some cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt (or ½ tsp table salt)
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 cups dark chocolate chunks (or chips)
Preparation
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Preheat oven to 375ºF. *Use convection, if you have it.
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Spread almonds out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper; toast in oven for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown, watching carefully in the last few minutes.
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Beat butter and sugars in standing mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, one minute more, scraping bowl once, then beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to mixer and beat to combine. Remove bowl from standing mixer and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to incorporate the chocolate and almonds. (Reserve a few to place on top of dough balls before baking for a pretty finishing touch).
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Drop by tablespoonfuls (roll into balls between hand for perfect cirlces) about 2” apart onto prepared baking sheets, and bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden at edges but still soft. Cool on wire racks.
