You *Need* to Try Courteney Cox’s Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
We’ve fangirled over Courteney Cox’s recipes for years now. Aglio e olio? She nailed it. Gluten-free biscotti? Yes, because wheat-free girls deserve a treat too. Better-for-you artichoke dip? A huge hit at our last party. Now, we’re beyond psyched to try what’s perhaps her most essential recipe yet: chocolate chunk cookies with Maldon sea salt.
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In an Instagram video posted on April 19, Cox can be seen working on a batch of *massive* chocolate chunk cookies in her home kitchen with help from her baker friend, Paul Cassell. “That’s the best damn cookie I’ve ever had,” the 58-year-old Friends star said while taste-testing her creation. By the end, the cookies appear as indulgent as they do elegant. (Like, your friends will think you bought them from a fancy bakery type of elegant.)
A riff on David Leite’s adaptation of Jacques Torres’s chocolate chip cookies (which was featured in New York Times Cooking), the recipe calls for a mix of cake and bread flours. Cake flour is low in protein compared to all-purpose flour, resulting in light, tender baked goods without too much gluten development. Bread flour, on the other hand, has a higher protein content than AP, resulting in more gluten formation, liquid retention and chew. The combination of both boosts the cookies’ structure without making them too dense.
The video shows Cassell reminding Cox (and the viewer) not to overmix the dough, after which she asks what that even means (we’ve all wondered, no?). “You’re gonna still see some specks of flour not fully mixed. You’re gonna turn the machine off, you’re gonna get a wooden spoon and mix in the rest,” he replies.
For those wondering, Cassell’s tip ensures that the dough isn’t excessively aerated (which will cause the cookies to rise and fall in the oven) and that the gluten isn't overdeveloped (which would result in tough or gummy cookies).
Prior to rolling and baking, the recipe calls for chilling the dough for 36 hours. By doing this, you’ll be evaporating some of the water in the cookie dough, resulting in a higher sugar content (and consequently, a chewier—and therefore yummier—cookie). The dough is then then scooped and weighed into 3.75-ounce balls (!!!), each one crowned with an additional large chunk of chocolate, which makes them look extra Insta-worthy once melted.
For the full recipe (and the rest of Cox and Cassell’s shenanigans), see her Instagram post—just be sure to bring all your ingredients to room temperature before beginning, per Cassell’s advice.
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Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
