Chocolate chip nougat cookies

As a fully-fledged cookie eater, here is my takeout from years of vigorous testing. You can be miserable before eating a cookie, and maybe even slightly so after, but the space in between is unhinged with happiness. These Chocolate chip nougat cookies won’t change the world, but they will, if only for the briefest moment, transport you to a magical place where buttery caramel and chocolate coexist in harmonious cookie heaven. If you’re drowning in a glut of below average cookie recipes, this one will stand out for all the right reasons.

I think these might just be the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Based on Sarah Keiffer’s pan-banging theory, they’re crispy around the edges, more flat than domed with a notably chewy centre. The ingredients are all the usual chocolate chip cookie characters – butter, castor sugar, flour and good chocolate, plenty of. What really pushes these cookies over the edge though, are the chunky bits of honey nougat that pouf-up while baking, then collapse into caramelised toffee nuggets. It’s like playing the joker card and winning the hand. For this recipe I used 1710 Roasted Macadamia Nougat. It is, quite simply, the best locally produced nougat.

Most good recipes have a secret or two that makes them what they are. Here are a couple of useful tips and tricks to ensure success.

•  Use salted butter
• Cream the butter and sugar well before adding the egg
• Chill the cookie balls for at least 30 minutes before baking
• Allow plenty of room for spreading, 6 -8 cookies are ideal
• Follow the baking times exactly – 10 minutes, lift and drop, 3 minutes, lift and drop 3 minutes
• Scrape the unruly caramel edges back into a round as soon as the cookies come out the oven
• Rest on the tray to firm up for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack
• And finally, hide them in a dark place away from roving hands

Chocolate chip nougat cookies

Makes 20 large cookies

• 200g butter, at room temperature
• 200g (1 cup) Natura Sugars Golden Castor Sugar (or regular castor sugar)
• 1 egg (xl)
• 10ml (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
• 250g (1 2/3 cup) cake wheat flour
• 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) fine salt
• 2.5ml (1/2 teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda
• 100g Afrikoa dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g Afrikoa milk chocolate, roughly chopped
• 200g 1701 Roasted Macadamia Nougat, cut into 1.5cm pieces
• corn flour, for dusting

1. Cream the butter and castor sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Add to the butter mixture and mix on a low speed until the flour is completely incorporated.
3. Add the chopped chocolate and nougat pieces and fold through.
4. Roll into balls or use an ice cream scoop to portion out 20 evenly sized portions. Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet that will fit into your fridge. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange 6 cookie balls on the sheet. You’ll need plenty of space for spreading. Bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven, then lift one side of the baking sheet about 10cm up and drop back onto the oven rack. Repeat with the other side. Bake for a further 3 minutes then repeat the dropping step once more. Bake for another 3 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, then drop the tray onto the counter from a 10cm height. Using a smooth-edged knife, gently scrape and shape the edges into a neat round.
7. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes to firm up. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

If the cookie jar is nearing empty, you may want to fill them with these:

Tahini breakfast cookies

Brown butter chocolate chip cookies

Vanilla spice linzer cookies

This post is not sponsored. It does however make use of premium local brands that I love, support and trust. For on-line orders, here are the relevant website links:

1701 Luxury gifting (Nougat)

Afrikoa Chocolate

Natura Sugars