Its official! I caved!
These cookies have been taking over Instagram and everyone is blogging about them. If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you? For these cookies? Yes! Yes I would!
I decided I was going to make them because, as my girl Erin from Cloudy Kitchen and Brian Hoffman from Bake from Scratch have coined them, I was having a serious fear of missing out (yes, I had to google what FOMO meant!) I mean, the people have been raving. They must be mind-blowing… so if I don’t make them, I will be missing out… my kids will be missing out… The world will literally end!
I grew up in a house where my mom would bake a double batch of my Grandmothers chocolate chip cookies every other day (yes, you read that right… Every other day!) Needless to say, I grew up on chocolate chip cookies, so I’ve developed quite a palate for them. One taste and I could tell if mom ran out of butter, or add in a few extra chocolate chips. Of course, Grandma’s recipe is numero uno in my heart, but Sarah Kieffer‘s pan banging cookies run a very close, just out of reach, second (mainly because I don’t want to disappoint my mom)!
Let me just sing their praises! They are HUGE. I mean, they are the size of Penny’s head. The amount of chocolate (chopped, not chips) is insane, and the edge wrinkles make them taste even better. (I’m not sure if shape actually makes them taste better, but I’m going to go with it)! This recipe does take a little more dedication than Grandma’s, but the freeze time and actual “pan banging” (TWICE) make the process enjoyable… Especially when you have 2 kids and a baby yelling “DROP IT MOMMY! ITS HOT” (Yes, this is the Mom version of dropping it like its hot)! I’ve still got it, people! I’ve still got it!
So, as you can tell, these #FOMO cookies have lived up to their name. You better hit the kitchen because I hear there is another FOMO cookie circulating their internet. Good thing Cadbury Mini Eggs are half off!
PAN PANNING CHOCOLATE CHIP #FOMO COOKIES
adapted from Sarah Kieffer’s book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book
ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging ½ inch
Maldon flake salt, as desired
steps
Preheat the oven to 350F and line 3 large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Make sure the dull side is facing up.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add in the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla, and water, and mix on low to combine. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add in the chocolate and mix on low until just incorporated.
Form the dough into 100 gram balls, about 1/3 cup each. Yes, LARGE, but required! Place 3-4 balls onto each of the prepared pans, and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. Once you pull the first pan out of the freezer to bake, place the second one in the freezer. This step is essential in getting your cookies to be the right consistency. The freezer is your friend!
Place the chilled baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. The cookies should be puffed slightly in the center. Lift the baking sheet up about 4 inches and let it drop down onto the oven rack. This forms the crispy, ridged texture that makes these cookies so distinct. After the cookies start to puff up again, 1 to 2 minutes, repeat the lifting and dropping the pan. Rotate the pain following each “bang”. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes total. The cookies should have spread out, and the edges will be golden. The centers should be a bit lighter, and not fully set.
Transfer cookies to a cooling rack, and let them cool down completely before removing from the pan.
Yusss welcome to the land of the FOMO cookie! It’s a dangerous but delicious place.