With crisp edges, a chewy center, buttery caramelized toffee notes to the dough, and chunks of the best dark chocolate riddled throughout the cookies, it's no wonder the Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of the best treats to get when visiting NYC. But they aren't difficult to make at home yourself if a trip to the Big Apple is out of the question.
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I don't remember where I first heard about the famous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies, but they have been on my New York bucket list for a long time. So when I finally got to go visit, I made sure to stop at a Jacques Torres location to pick up a few of their phenomenal cookies.
They absolutely lived up to the hype. The textures and flavors are chocolate chip cookie perfection, especially if you love a thinner, more traditional chocolate chip cookie as opposed to NYC's other popular CCC - the super thick, almost scone-like Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie with walnuts.
Both are delicious and totally different, so you might want to try each recipe and decide for yourself which you like best!
These are not your everyday "I'm craving chocolate" kind of a chocolate chip cookie, but they are worth the effort for something a little more special that will definitely wow your friends. Despite looking complicated (measurements like 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons flour or including measurements by weight can be intimidating for some newer bakers), I don't think that making the dough is actually any harder than throwing together the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the bag of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips.
What Sets Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies Apart
This isn't a copycat recipe - this is the actual Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies recipe that he shared with the NY Times - but I think it's worth sharing some lessons I learned while making them that I think readers might find helpful.
- You're going to need a LOT of chocolate. Jacques Torres is a chocolate shop and they use their 60% dark chocolate fèves (basically discs of chocolate that are much larger than typical chocolate chips). It is excellent chocolate. But not readily available to most of us unless you have it shipped. But don't worry - I have a good solution that isn't just regular old chocolate chips.
- You must chill the dough. This is non-negotiable for an authentic replica of what you could get at a Jacques Torres chocolate shop. It's annoying for those of us who hate waiting, but it does affect both the texture AND flavor of the finished cookies.
- It requires 2 types of flour. That's right, you need both cake flour and bread flour to make these. I actually made a couple of batches to test whether all-purpose flour will work instead, but in a side-by-side taste test, we could tell a difference between the ones made with the bread flour & cake flour combo and the ones made with all-purpose flour. Would I eat both cookies? Absolutely. But again, for the most legitimate version you're going to want to use the right ingredients.
Best Kind of Chocolate To Use
Obviously Jacques Torres chocolate is going to give the most authentic results, but for the budget conscious, I recommend the Trader Joe's pound plus bars. Each of these massive bars is slightly under the 1 ¼ pounds of chocolate called for in the original recipe, but at $5.99 at my local Trader Joe's it's close enough to do the trick for a fraction of the cost and is by far the most economical option for these cookies.
Trader Joe's makes a 72% cacao dark chocolate "pound plus" bar in the red packaging and a 54% dark chocolate bar in the brown packaging. I buy one of each and roughly chop them both up to get a mix of 63% dark chocolate for my Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies, but either kind of chocolate will work depending on how dark you like your chocolate. At 17.6 ounces (1 pound 1.6 ounces) per bar, one bar technically isn't quite enough for the recipe (although honestly these cookies are so loaded with chocolate that you would probably be fine with just one Trader Joe's bar if you aren't planning to coat the bottoms with chocolate). You'll need almost two full bars if you want to coat the bottoms with chocolate.
Actual Jacques Torres dark chocolate discs are the most authentic option, since that's what he uses in his cookie recipe and can currently be ordered for $23 for a 2 pound bag, which is just the right amount for one batch of cookies if you want to coat the bottoms in chocolate. They are still more than the Trader Joe's bars and you have to have them shipped, but it's a good choice if these are your favorite cookies.
Ghiradelli bittersweet baking bars are another great choice for a high quality chocolate that is 60% cacao, but it's the most expensive option. You would need five of the 4-ounce Ghiradelli bars to make one batch of cookies, and that's without coating the bottoms of the cookies in melted chocolate, which requires another 2 bars. At $4.99/bar at my local grocery store, this option is at least 4 to 6 times as much as the Trader Joe's bars and even more than ordering and shipping the Jacques Torres chocolate discs.
Chilling the Dough
The minimum required chilling time of 24 hours allows the cookie dough to develop it's flavor while also letting the flour in the dough hydrate by soaking up the wet ingredients, which results in a cookie that is supremely chewy with crisp edges.
The good news is that you can make a batch of dough and only bake off as many cookies as you want, leaving the rest of the dough in the fridge for 72 hours or freezing so you can bake your cookies any time you want them and they will be super fresh.
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Flour - You'll need both bread flour and cake flour for these cookies. See notes above for a more detailed explanation.
- Sugar - A combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar results in more depth of flavor and toffee notes.
- Salted butter - One tiny adaptation I made was to use salted butter, because that's all I bake with.
- Eggs - Two large eggs for binding the dough gives a chewy texture and richness to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract - If you haven't tried making your own homemade vanilla extract, what are you waiting for?
- Baking powder & baking soda - Critical for the right amount of lift and spread to the cookies.
- Salt - To balance out all the other flavors in the cookie, and some flaky salt for sprinkling on top.
- Dark chocolate - See the notes above for some options, but keep it dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao) for them to be most like the Jacques Torres cookies in the shop.
How to Make the Famous Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cream butter and sugars. Combine the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes until creamy and light. This can also be done with a hand mixer, if needed.
- Add vanilla & eggs. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add dry ingredients. Add both types of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to incorporate, then mix on low speed for 5 to 10 seconds, just until combined. Stir in chocolate on low speed just until evenly dispersed throughout the dough.
- Shape into balls. Scoop the cookie dough into large 3 ½-ounce mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They should be slightly larger than golf balls and placed close together. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Chill. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours so the dough can chill and the flavors can develop. The cookies can be baked any time between the 24 and 72 hour mark.
- Preheat oven. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F for at least 20 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange 6 balls of chilled cookie dough on it, spaced so there is room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake. Bake each batch of cookies for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown but still soft in the centers. Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool. The cookies can be enjoyed right away while still warm, or you can let them cool completely and coat the bottoms with additional dark chocolate.
- Coat bottoms with chocolate (optional). Line additional baking sheets with silicon baking mats. Melt an additional 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in the microwave on 50% power for 60-90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, just until smooth. Spoon about 1 tablespoon or so of the melted chocolate onto the bottoms of each of the cooled cookies and spread to evenly coat them in a thin layer of chocolate. Place the cookies chocolate-side-down onto the baking mats, then let them set up completely for the chocolate to harden before enjoying.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can freeze any unbaked balls of cookie dough for 2-3 months. Bake them straight from frozen by adding 2-3 minutes additional bake time.
Jacques Torres is a highly acclaimed French pastry chef and master chocolatier, known for his exceptional desserts. In 2000, he opened his own chocolate shop, Jacques Torres Chocolate, in Brooklyn. Widely recognized for his artisanal approach, Torres is dedicated to using high-quality ingredients and traditional techniques to create exquisite chocolates and confections. He has even won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award and appeared as a judge on the popular baking competition show "Nailed It!"
Tips for Success
- Think chunks. Be sure when chopping your chocolate you don't go too fine. You want large chunks of chocolate to create puddles of melted dark chocolate in your cookies for the true Jacques Torres experience.
- Don't overmix. Once you add the flour to the cookie dough, try to mix it just enough to incorporate everything together. Overmixing cookie dough can result in cookies that turn out dry and tough.
- Don't skip the salt. I know salted chocolate isn't everybody's thing, but it makes such a difference in these cookies which are so loaded with sweetness from the chocolate. That sprinkle of flaky salt provides the perfect balance.
How to Store
Once completely cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature and enjoy within 3-4 days. Any longer than that and they start tasting a little stale.
You can also freeze the finished cookies for 2-3 months. Keep them in an airtight, freezer-safe container and let them come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before enjoying. If you didn't choose to cover the bottoms of the cookies in chocolate, I would even recommend warming the cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds!
More Cookie Recipes
- Frosted Swig Sugar Cookies
- Reese's Pieces Cookies
- Easy White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- Best Fudgy Chewy Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Ranger Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
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Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 Tablespoons cake flour (241g or 8 ½ ounces)
- 1 ⅔ cups bread flour (241g or 8 ½ ounces)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 ¼ cups salted butter, softened (2 ½ sticks)
- 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (227g or 8 ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate, at least 60% (680g)
- 8 ounces chopped additional dark chocolate, for coating (optional)
Instructions
- Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 4-5 minutes until creamy and light.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Add both types of flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pulse a few times to incorporate, then mix on low speed for 5 to 10 seconds, just until combined. Stir in chocolate.
- Scoop the cookie dough into large 3 ½-ounce mounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They should be slightly larger than golf balls and placed close together. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours so the dough can chill and the flavors can develop. The cookies can be baked any time between the 24 and 72 hour mark.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F for at least 20 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange 6 balls of chilled cookie dough on it, spaced so there is room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown but still soft in the centers. Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to cool. The cookies can be enjoyed right away while still warm, or you can let them cool completely and coat the bottoms with additional dark chocolate.
- Line additional baking sheets with silicon baking mats. Melt the additional chocolate in the microwave on 50% power for 60-90 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Spoon melted chocolate onto the bottoms of the cooled cookies and spread to evenly coat them in a thin layer. Place the cookies onto the baking mats with the chocolate coated bottoms down. Let them set up completely for the chocolate to harden before enjoying.
I think the recipe is supposed to read 2 cups MINUS 2 Tablespoons
Thank you! My bad!