Gideon's Cookies Recipe
Delicious cookies from Gideon's Bakehouse
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Ingredients
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Cookie dough
Mix-ins & finishing
Method
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). If using chilled butter, let it sit until softened but still cool to the touch.
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar on medium speed until light, fluffy, and pale, about 3–4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated. The mixture may look slightly loose — that's fine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, fine sea salt, and instant espresso powder (if using) until evenly distributed.
With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing just until combined after each addition. Do not overmix; stop when no streaks of flour remain.
Mix-ins & finishing
Fold in mix-ins
Using a sturdy spatula, fold in the semisweet chocolate chunks and milk chocolate chunks, and the chopped nuts if using, until evenly distributed through the dough.
Scoop dough into generous 3-tablespoon (or rounded 2-inch) mounds — you should get about 20–24 cookies. Place mounds on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2.5 inches apart. For tall, bakery-style cookies, pile dough so the center is slightly higher than the edges.
Chill (optional for shape and texture)
For thicker, chewier cookies, chill the scooped dough on the baking sheet for 20–30 minutes in the refrigerator. If short on time, you can bake immediately, but chilled dough yields a better structure.
Bake
Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 10–12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if your oven has hot spots. Cookies should have set edges but still look slightly glossy and soft in the center.
Finish with sea salt
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle each with a small pinch of sea salt flakes to brighten the chocolate flavor.
Cool
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 8–10 minutes to finish setting, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for longer storage.