Piloncillo chocolate chip cookies

I found some piloncillo (raw sugar) while in Mexico City and I wanted to see if I could use it to make GREAT chocolate chip cookies. And I succeeded. Top tip: use a food processor to grate piloncillo, otherwise you will be using grating the piloncillo for a LONG WHILE.

Piloncillo chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients

1. 2 sticks unsalted butter (8 oz/ 227 g), cut into tablespoons
2. 2 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk (1 oz/ 28 g)
3. 2 cups all-purpose flour (9.2 oz/ 260 g)
4. 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.22 oz/ 6g)
5. 1 teaspoon baking soda (0.21 oz/ 6g)
6. 1 ½ cup grated piloncillo sugar
7. 2 large eggs (3.5 oz/100g), cold from the refrigerator
8. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
9. 5 ounces (142g) bittersweet chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped
10. 5 ounces (142g) milk chocolate disks, half coarsely chopped

Recipe

1. Measure out 4 ounces (113g) of the butter and set aside in a large bowl. 
2. In a small saucepan, cook the remaining 4 ounces (113g) butter over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the butter comes to a boil. 
3. Continue to cook, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the butter sputters, foams, and eventually you see browned bits floating about, 5 to 7 minutes. 
4. Add the browned butter to the bowl with the other butter, making sure you scrape in all of the browned bits, then add the heavy cream (no need to stir). 
5. Set aside to cool.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda to combine. Set it aside.
7. To the bowl with the browned butter mixture (it can be slightly warm, just make sure its not hot), add the brown and granulated sugars and whisk vigorously until the mixture is very smooth and thick, about 45 seconds (since we're not going for a light and and cakey cookie texture, you dont need a mixture thats light and fluffy). 
8. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is satiny, about 45 seconds. 
9. Add the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth and well combined. It will look a little loose -- this is normal. 
10. Switch to a flexible spatula to scrape down the bowl, folding to make sure everything is well incorporated. 
11. Add both the chocolates (whole disks and chopped) and mix to combine. Set the batter aside for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.
12. Using a 2-ounce scoop or 1/4 cup measure, scoop level portions of the dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet as close together as possible (you'll space them out before baking). 
13. Cover the sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 48  (if you're pressed for time, a couple of hours in the refrigerator will do-- just note the baked cookies won't be as chewy or wrinkly-looking).
14. When you're ready to bake, arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
15. Place 6 pieces of chilled cookie dough on each of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them so they're at least 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies until they are dark golden brown around the edges, 18 to 22 minutes.