Chocolate Almond Giant Cookie
This giant cookie is made of a soft buttery dough and a crunchy topping with roasted almonds and chocolate chunks. It is drizzled with a salted caramel sauce and sprinkled with sea salt flakes.
The recipe is from a renowned French pastry chef, François Perret, who is currently working at the Paris Ritz Carlton.
which ring to use ?
To make this giant cookie, you need a Ø 8 inch – 20 cm cake ring. You can use another shape of the same surface like I did. Don’t use a cake pan with a bottom because the cookie is pretty fragile, it’s going to break when unmolding.
It’s also important to remove the ring while the cookie is still warm. Proceed gently and make sure that the cookie is coming off well everywhere. Then, move the cookie carefully on a cooling rack to finish cooling down.
How to make the cookie?
There isn’t much difference with any other cookie when making the dough. The only one is that the chocolate and almonds are not mixed in the dough but sprinkled on top.
I like to chop big chunks of chocolate and almonds to have a nice crunch. For the chocolate, I recommend using a dark chocolate with about 60% cocoa.
Don’t be scared with the amount of chocolate chunks and almonds, I know it looks like it’s too much but I can tell you, it’s the perfect balance with the cookie dough.
Drizzling with caramel sauce or not?
The caramel sauce is optional, it’s a nice addition but not essential. Here is the recipe of my favorite salted caramel sauce.
If you choose to drizzle with salted caramel, you’ll have to keep the cookie in the fridge if not eaten the same day.
When refrigerated, the chocolate gets harder which makes the topping crunchier. Take out of the fridge 15 minutes before eating to enjoy at room temperature.
Other flavors?
You can certainly venture yourself in other pairings : hazelnut and milk/dark chocolate (replace the almond butter with hazelnut butter) ; pistachios, dried cherries and white chocolate ; pecans, dark chocolate and caramel …
Chocolate Almond Giant Cookie, by F. Perret
Equipment
- Ø 8 inch – 20 cm cake ring
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter – room temperature (110 g)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (140 g)
- 1 egg (50 g)
- 3 tbsp almond butter (60 g)
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (170 g)
- 1 pinch table salt (1 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder (5 g)
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate (around 60% cocoa) (110 g) – chunks
- ¼ cup whole blanched almonds (40 g)
- 2 tbsp salted caramel (30 g) – optional, see notess
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F – 180°C.
- Put the almonds on a baking tray with parchment paper and roast for 8 minutes.Chop them roughly once cold.
- Cream the butter with the brown sugar.
- Mix in the almond butter.
- Then add the egg with about ⅓ of the flour and mix until combined.
- Add the rest of the flour, table salt and baking powder.
- Place the ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put the dough in it, making it flat and even with your hands.
- Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and almond pieces.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes and remove the ring gently while still warm.
- Allow to cool down completely on a cooling rack before drizzling with salted caramel and sprinkling with sea salt flakes.
Notes
Don’t use a cake pan with a bottom because the cookie is pretty fragile, it’s going to break when unmolding.
Remove the ring while the cookie is still warm. Proceed gently and make sure that the cookie is coming off well everywhere. Once the ring is removed, move the cookie carefully on a cooling rack to finish cooling down.
The caramel sauce is optional, it’s a nice addition but not essential. Here is the recipe of my favorite salted caramel sauce.
If you choose to drizzle with salted caramel, you’ll have to keep the cookie in the fridge if not eaten the same day.
When refrigerated, the chocolate gets harder which makes the topping crunchier. Take out of the fridge 15 minutes before eating to enjoy at room temperature.