The Chocolate Chunks Ina Garten Uses For Her Cookies
One of the most important parts of any chocolate chunk cookie recipe is, well, the chocolate. And we can trust one particular kitchen maven for her opinion on them: Ina Garten, who's renowned for her lifestyle and cooking expertise, and knows a thing or two about modern comfort food. A reader posed a question in the Q&A section of her website that made us curious: "What brand of chocolate chunks does she use in her chocolate chunk cookies?"
Garten's response? "I use Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chunks. They are available at most large grocery stores in the baking aisle!" It's comforting to know that she uses items that you can get every day — although we have a feeling she also stocks some other, fancier things in her pantries that most of us can only aspire to use, because she is Ina flippin' Garten, after all. But even as Toll House embraces chocolate chunk alternatives like Morsels and More, its chocolate chips remain a hot seller for a reason — they are reliable and provide consistent results.
Ina Garten's favorite cookie recipe does in fact, involve chocolate chunks
Garten has said in the past that her favorite cookie recipe does in fact involve chocolate chunks, but it also has multiple added dimensions that lend texture, chewiness, and contrasting flavors to the cookies. Her Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookie recipe is her personal favorite, and not only does it involve salt, oatmeal, and chocolate, but also includes cranberries, which might be polarizing for some. She mentions chocolate chunks in it that are chopped by hand (in this case, Lindt), but because Toll House Chunks are such a solid all-purpose baking ingredient, those should work well as a substitute, in my humble opinion.
Garten's cookies sound like a stellar end to a casual dinner, or just a great grazing snack overall. An afternoon cookie always serves as a pretty good post-lunch pick-me-up. Because who doesn't love a good chocolate chunk cookie, and especially one that goes big on the chocolate chunks? Ina has you covered.