Ina Garten giant crinkled chocolate chip cookies started with baker Sarah Kieffer’s pan-banging trick, which Ina adapted with extra chocolate and sea salt. She swaps in chopped bittersweet chunks and finishes this easy dessert with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.
Freeze the dough balls for exactly 15 minutes before baking, no longer. That precise timing is what lets them puff, then spread into wide, crinkled rounds when you bang the pan on the stove every 3 minutes.
Source: Modern Comfort Food (2020)
Ina Garten Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
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kcalOversized cookies with chopped bittersweet chocolate and a fleur de sel finish, using a pan-banging technique for that signature crinkled look.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (such as Lindt)
Fleur de sel or sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
- Instructions
- Place the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.
- Using a standard 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, place the dough balls on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze the dough balls for exactly 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the frozen dough balls 3 inches apart on sheet pans lined with parchment paper, 6 cookies per pan.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, removing the pans from the oven every 3 minutes and banging them hard on the stove to deflate the cookies. The cookies are done when the edges are lightly browned but the centers are still very soft.
- Sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel while they are still warm. Allow them to cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you bang the pan on the stove while baking?
Banging the pan deflates the risen dough and forces it to spread outward. Each time the cookies puff back up and get banged again, they develop one more layer of wrinkles, which is where the crinkled look comes from.
Can I use chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate?
You can, but chopped bittersweet chocolate gives you uneven shards that melt into thin streaks and pockets. Chips hold their shape and stay uniform, so the texture and chocolate distribution will be different.
How long should the dough balls freeze before baking?
Freeze them for exactly 15 minutes. This firms the butter just enough that the cookies puff tall in the oven before spreading. Too long in the freezer and the centers stay raw while the edges overbrown.
What is the best way to store these cookies?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The centers stay soft because of the high sugar-to-flour ratio. You can also freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months and reheat at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them on a sheet pan, then transfer the frozen balls to a zip-top bag. They keep for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
