Copycat Panera Chocolate Chipper Cookie

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups AP flour
• ½ Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• ¼ cup chopped/shaved milk chocolate (a 1.55 oz Hershey bar will suffice)

Preparation time: 20 minutes, +4-24 hours refrigeration
Baking time: 12-14 minutes
Cooling time: 10 minutes on the sheet pan, plus at least 20 more on a cooling rack.
Makes: 8 Panera-sized cookies

Making the Cookie:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.

Cream butter and sugars together.

Add egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Measure dry ingredients together.

Add to butter and egg mixture and mix until just combined.

Fold both kinds of chocolate into the batter.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Scoop dough into 8 balls and arrange on two trays. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes, removing when the cookies are browning around the edge and just set on top. For crisper cookies, bake an additional 3-5 minutes. 

Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing and allow to cool on a cooling rack for another 20 minutes.

Tips and Tricks:

• You’ll have better luck baking these 3 or 4 to a tray. 
• An ice cream scoop works great for scooping balls of refrigerated dough.
• Chocolate chips can be subbed for the chopped milk chocolate, but they won’t melt into the dough in the same way, which is part of the Panera Chocolate Chipper experience.
• You can leave the cornstarch out, but it helps the cookies to not spread as much.
• If your cookies still spread more than you would like, particularly if they get thin around the edges, you can always use the edge of a bowl to nudge them back together.
• Can keep in an airtight container on the counter 3-4 days, in the fridge for 1 week, and the freezer for one month.

Variations:

• You can sub any kind of chocolate you want, but having more than one kind really adds to the complexity of the cookie, so make sure to use at least 2. 
• If you don’t have a convection oven, you’ll have more consistent baking if you bake at a smaller size for a little less time.
• If you prefer a crisper cookie, bake these for 3-5 more minutes. 
• Subbing brown butter adds a nice nutty quality.