Have you seen the new “pan-banging” baking method that creates a ripple effect on cookies? This method creates a crispy, ripply crisp outer edge with a gooey, melty center…I think I just found a new favorite chocolate chip cookie.
This recipe, along with 99 other cookie recipes are in Sarah Kieffer’s new cookbook, 100 Cookies, the Baking Book for Every Kitchen. So many tempting recipes to try from classics to brownies to pan-banged cookies.
I followed the recipe in the cookbook and they turned out amazing! Normally we don’t want cookies to spread when we bake them, but the spreading is what makes these cookies so special.
The dough is mixed and then shaped into balls, with about 1/4 cup of dough each. Then you place about 3-4 balls on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, dull side up.
Bake the cookies for about 9 minutes, until the dough balls have spread flat, but are puffed slightly in the center. Then the pan banging begins! Lift one side of the sheet pan up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack so the edges of the cookies set and the center falls back.
Bake about 2 more minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create more ripples. Bake for 15-16 minutes total until the edges are golden brown and centers are much lighter and not fully cooked. How fun does that sound? Kids would love the watch this!
Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with finishing salt, if desired.
The texture is what sets these cookies apart. That crunchy outside and soft center is just what you want in a perfect cookie! Especially delicious when warm!
What a great snack! There is a wide variety of these Pan-Banging Cookies in her cookbook, including Snickerdoodles, Triple Chocolate Cookies, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies and more!
Click on the link below to see Sarah’s blog. It will make you start thinking about your holiday baking. Note: The Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe on the blog has been updated in her cookbook, the freezing step has been eliminated and the cookies are a bit smaller. The recipe attached below is the updated version.
http://www.thevanillabeanblog.com/
Chocolate Chip Cookies -The Pan Banging Method
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chopped into bite sized pieces, averaging about 1/2 inch each
- fleur de sel (finishing salt) for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat to 350°. Line three sheet pans with aluminum foil, dull-side up.
- Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, water and vanilla, and mix on low speed just to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low speed until incorporated into the batter.
- Form the dough into 3 ounce balls, which is about equal to 1/4 cup. Place 3 to 4 cookies an equal distance apart on the sheet pans. Bake the cookies one pan at a time.
- Bake until the dough balls have spread flat, but are puffed slightly in the center, about 9 minutes. Lift one side of the sheet pan up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the center falls back.
- After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat the lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 15 to 16 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and sprinkle the cookies with fleur de sel, if desired. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days (or refrigerate for up to 3 days.)
