Julie Giuffrida is the former Test Kitchen coordinator for the Los Angeles Times.
It’s a great time to look past the toll house cookie with these recipes that pay homage to the classic chocolate chip.
Not to be confused with National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day or National Chocolate Day, May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day — a day to acknowledge and celebrate those miniature chocolate-kiss-shaped morsels found in the baking section of most supermarkets. To be clear, classic chocolate chip cookie recipes are a different story. Dozens of other baked goods also incorporate these tasty bits and deserve our attention.
On the cookie front, Milk’s Ooey-Gooey Double-Chocolate Cookies use three types of chocolate to achieve their rich flavor and the gooey center that results from baking them just long enough to set up on the outside. Semisweet chocolate and two full tablespoons of espresso powder amp up the flavor in Julienne’s Double-Chocolate Espresso Walnut Cookies, which are also studded with bittersweet chocolate chips. Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints are a bite-sized approach to the classic pairing of chocolate and raspberry (though you can use any flavor of jam). Finish them with a squiggle of melted chocolate over the jam center and cookie edges for a more elegant look. The dough is very easy to work with, so it is a good choice for making with kids.
A mashup of chocolate and peppermint reminiscent of Chocolate Mint Ice Cream — mint-flavored ice cream studded with chocolate bits (sub out mini chocolate chips for the chopped chocolate in the recipe) — Chocolate Peppermint Snaps reverse the situation: The base flavor (the cookie) is chocolate, and the “chips” are shards of smashed peppermint candies.
A cross between cake and cookies, rich Midnight Chocolate Brownie Bites (“midnight” because they are that dark) combine three types of chocolate with sweet, citrusy notes from orange liqueur and zest, while Flourless Fudgy Brownies swap in cocoa powder for flour, which results in a tender, extra-chocolaty, gluten-free treat.
A departure from both fruit tarts — a traditional home for frangipane — and individual cookies, Chocolate Chunk-Hazelnut Tart floats chocolate chunks in a hazelnut frangipane and eats like a giant chocolate chip cookie.
Easy Chocolate Soufflés are just what you would think: a simplified approach to this reputedly challenging-to-make dessert. Airy and ultra-chocolaty, they require a mere half-hour to make.
As if cubes of rich, buttery brioche baked with chocolate chips would not satisfy your sweet tooth or chocolate craving on their own, Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding has you smother those ingredients with crème anglaise before baking and topping with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
If you want to feel virtuous and have your chocolate too, Chocolate Zucchini Cake has vegetables in the batter. The grated zucchini provides extra moisture, which allows you to use less butter (an additional virtue) and makes for a fluffy cake with a crisp outer crust and a voluptuous chocolate flavor (made more vivid with a bit of coffee).
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread With Peanut Crumble is sort of like a peanut butter and chocolate chip sandwich with bananas, but in cake form — more tender and more flavorful. It is a slice of heaven: peanut butter paired with chocolate chips.
Milk's Ooey-Gooey Double-Chocolate Cookies
Three types of chocolate are folded into this rich cookie dough, which is baked just long enough for each cookie to set up on the outside while remaining oh so 'ooey-gooey' inside.
Time 40 minutes
Yields Makes 1 1/2 dozen
Julienne's Double-Chocolate Espresso Walnut Cookies
Espresso amps up the chocolate in Julienne's amazing chocolate espresso cookies, which are studded with chocolate chips and walnuts. It's a must-have recipe for any chocolate lover.
Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Chocolate-Raspberry Thumbprints
Simple yet sophisticated, these elegant-looking raspberry thumbprint cookies are as delicious as they are chocolatey. You can swap orange, strawberry or whatever you have on hand for the raspberry jam.
Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies
Chocolate Mint Ice Cream
Fresh mint brightens the mintiness of this creamy classic studded with bits of bittersweet chocolate.
Time 15 minutes
Yields Serves 4 to 6
Chocolate Peppermint Snaps
A mashup of chocolate and peppermint, these cookies are crisp and chewy and ready to eat in less than an hour.
Time 50 minutes
Yields Makes 4 to 6 dozen cookies
Midnight Chocolate Brownie Bites
Sweet citrusy notes from orange liqueur and peel sparkle in the deliciously dense combination of bittersweet chocolate, dark cocoa and mini dark-chocolate chips.
Time 1 hour
Yields Makes 25 brownies
Flourless Fudgy Brownies
This simple, flourless fudgy brownie recipe requires only six ingredients and is a foolproof formula to a tender, chocolaty dessert.
Time 45 minutes
Yields Makes one 8-inch-square pan.
Chocolate Chunk-Hazelnut Tart
Ground toasted hazelnuts add body and richness to this chocolate-mottled tart.
Time 2 hours 15 minutes, largely unattended, plus 8 hours resting
Yields Serves 16
Easy Chocolate Soufflés
This fast, easy chocolate soufflé recipe requires only three ingredients, making it the perfect dessert to serve on date night or this Valentine's Day.
Time 30 minutes
Yields Makes 4 individual soufflés
Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding
Brioche cubes and chocolate chips are doused with crème anglaise, baked and topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Yields Serves 9 to 12
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
The grated zucchini reduces the amount of butter needed, while cocoa powder, chocolate chips and a spoonful of coffee allow for a voluptuous chocolate flavor.
Time 1 hour
Yields Serves 10
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread With Peanut Crumble
Chocolate chip banana bread is made extra delicious in this recipe thanks to the addition of dark chocolate and a crunchy peanut crumble on top.
Time 2 hours
Yields Makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf