*stares at cookies as though hypnotized*
This week, my bake-a-long group is making Edouard’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, aka French-style chocolate chip cookies, from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking Chez Moi cookbook. What are French-style chocolate chip cookies, you ask? Apparently, ones where some of the flour is subbed out for hazelnut or almond flour.
But…I used up the last of my almond flour weeks ago, and I’ve never, ever come across hazelnut flour at my local bulk store, so…what’s a gal to do?
Substitute, you say? You betcha! With what? Huh. Good question. More flour?
Obviously replacing a ground almonds with flour is not going to have the same results — flour binds differently than ground nuts. But if it comes down to a) having chocolate chip cookies tonight, fresh out of the oven, or b) NOT having chocolate chip cookies tonight, well, I think we all know what I’m going to choose! The answer is clear, is it not? Chocolate chip cookies forever! (*sung to the tune of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, except with more glee*)
So I added in more flour to replace the ground nuts, but only about half the quantity, as at that point, the dough seemed dry enough. I also added in about 1/4 c. ground flax. (In my mind, the benefits of the flax seed compensate for the butter, sugar, and chocolate. I’m sure you agree.)
I still followed the rest of Dorie’s instructions. Except for the part where she says to let the dough chill in the fridge. Um, no? I need cookies ASAP, people! Forget that!
I did, however, follow her instructions for baking. I baked for 8 minutes, and then used a spatula to SQUISH them flat! Oh joy! (Technically, Dorie says to flatten with spatula. I interpreted this as ‘squish with intent’.) I have a colleague who loves to shred things; she just finds it so satisfying. That’s how I feel about squishing things — it just satisfies my inner toddler!
That texture, tho!
The cookies turned out rather nice! The squishing definitely added something to them, as otherwise the high flour content meant that they wouldn’t flatten. I’m sure if one follows the recipe, they’ll flatten much more easily, probably due in part to the higher fat content.
The recipe says that it will make 5o cookies, and indeed that is the case. I’m sending these in with the DH to his work tomorrow, but…only 40 cookies worth. The DH taste-tested two of cookies right out of the oven. And the other eight somehow managed to hop into my mouth when I wasn’t looking. I’m not complaining though! (My scale might complain, but me? Complain about chocolate? Nuh uh.)
I’ll probably try to make these cookies again, this time with the nut flour. I think it would add such a lovely nutty note to the standard chocolate chip cookies. Want to see how others make them? Check it out here!
Next Post: Sprouting green things? Low sugar yoghurt? Or…sugary, buttery, bites of goodness? Stay tuned!
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LOL – the squishing part was fun. I made half a batch and got 24. Glad you enjoyed them.
Squishing WAS fun! So very squishy!
The nut flour adds a really nice texture to the cookies as well – you definitely need to try it with that!
I will definitely try it with the nut flour, Mardi. It’s no hardship to make a cookie recipe twice!
Your posts always make me laugh. My cookies have magically been disappearing two per day. I made half a recipe and froze half of them for later. These were too delicious to send to work;)
Two per day? How on earth do you pace yourself? I had to send them in to work with the DH in order to get them away from me!
These werr so delicious. I am so excited for you to try them with the nut flour!
I’m excited too!
Making cookies make every one happy: the baker and the tasters. I’d have threw a bag of whole hazelnuts in the Vitamix to blend them into flour. I did it before and it works.
Ooh, blending hazelnuts in a mixer, great idea!
with or without nut flour, these sound great! i’m looking forward to making this one.
Thanks, Steph! I’m looking forward to remaking these with nut flour!