Chunky Lola Cookies

One of the things that convinced me to make a career change was a visit to Flour Bakery. I was up in Boston visiting a friend and, like I usually do when I’m visiting a city I’ve never been to before, I took a walking tour. This will usually consist of looking for a place for coffee and hopefully something to snack on while I’m reading a book. The place I accidentally found on my route was Flour, a fairly nondescript but very busy bakery/coffee shop in the South End.

The aroma coming from those doors was heavenly: I smelled fresh baked bread, buttery brioche, hints of chocolate and fruit. I loved the eclectic menu written on chalkboards that stretched all over the top and sides of the counter area. There were baskets of cookies, scones, and bread, as well as a refrigerated display case filled with a stunning array of pastries I didn’t even know the name of but I wanted to sample every single one. From inside the small dining area, you could easily see the back of the bakery where the bakers were working industriously on new product. The place had the feel of a neighborhood hangout; a place I would go every single day I was in Boston, usually making it my first stop for their great coffee and each day a new baked treat. This was the kind of place I dreamed of creating. A place that survived in a bad economy because the neighborhood felt it was necessary. Necessary not because we have to eat baked treats, but eating and smelling one connects us to a sense memory of home and the love that was baked into them.

Her name was Lola, she was a bulldog...

I couldn’t be happier when I discovered that Joanne Chang, the pastry chef behind Flour Bakery, was publishing a cookbook. I ordered Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe the minute it became available on Amazon. One of the first treats I baked from the book was Flour’s Chunky Lola Cookies. I loved the story behind how Joanne and her staff came up for the name of the cookie. They were looking for a new recipe item and asked their customers and staff what folks wanted to see in a new cookie. “Oats!” “Pecans!” “Coconut!” and of course “Chocolate!”. After inventing a delightfully chunky new cookie, they couldn’t decide on a name so they held a naming contest for their customers. The winner was chosen as Chunky Lola, though no one knew what the source of the name was at the time and the winner wasn’t telling. It turns out Lola was the name of his chunky little bulldog. After the cookbook came out and Lola became famous, the owner shared a picture of Lola with Joanne and she shared it on her  twitter feed.  Can’t you just see that little bulldog with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress way down to there?

Chunky Lolas

Yield: 24 cookies

This cookie is a 'pantry' or 'cupboard' cookie: using a base much like a chocolate chip cookie, you throw into it whatever you have in your pantry, in this case toasted pecans, dark chocolate chunks, coconut and rolled oats. These cookies bake up chunky and crispy with a nice soft center. I baked up my version of these cookies a little smaller than Joanne recommends in her recipe. I used the medium cookie scoop from Oxo, so I actually get 24 cookies from the recipe.

Note that the recipe calls for pecan halves, toasted and then chopped. It's really worth it to toast the pecans before chopping them up in your recipe. Toasting nuts couldn't be easier, either. Heat your oven to 350º F, place a sheet of parchment paper down on a baking sheet and scatter the pecans in a single layer. Set your timer for 8 minutes. Start checking the nuts at the 5 minute stage and about every minute and a half afterwards. You should start smelling the nutty aroma of the oils in the nuts being pulled to the surface and that's a hint that you're getting close. Take one of the nuts and break it open, if you're starting to get a good golden color through the meat of the nut and the nuts taste "nuttier", you can pull them out of the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack before chopping them up and using them in your recipe. You usually won't have to toast any longer than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (1 3/8 sticks/156 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (150 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (70 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT instant or quick cooking)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
9 ounces (255 grams) bittersweet chocolate (62-70% cacao), chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) pecan halves, toasted and chopped
1 cup (120 grams) sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes if using a stand mixer. Make sure to stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and the paddle to release any clinging butter or sugar.

Beat in the eggs and vanilla on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle again, just to make sure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Add the chocolate, pecans and coconut and toss together. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until just combined. You'll need to do this in a couple of steps, stopping the mixer and scraping down from the bottom of the bowl where you will probably have some parts unmixed. When finished, the batter should be evenly mixed.

For the absolute best results for your final cookie, scrape the dough into an airtight container (a gallon size ziploc bag works beautifully), and let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or preferably overnight before baking. This allows the flour to completely hydrate, making for a much better cookie. Think of it as post-mixing abuse group therapy for the ingredients in your cookie batter. They need the closure.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350º F and position a rack in the center of the oven.

Drop the dough onto a baking sheet spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and slightly soft in the center. I also set my timer at 10 minute intervals to rotate the sheet pan at least once during the cookie baking process for even browning. After removing from the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are cool enough to remove with a spatula. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack to cool completely or enjoy them warm.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The unbaked dough may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also roll up the cookie dough in logs in tightly wrapped parchment paper and then wrap again tightly in plastic wrap for storage in the freezer. Pull out the frozen log of cookie dough the night before and allow it to defrost in your refrigerator overnight and then bake up as normal. The frozen cookie dough will last in your refrigerator for up to 2 months, but you'll use the dough before then.

Recipe adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

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