These chocolate chip cookie crisps are definitely—and defiantly—NOT the sweet, buttery, gooey double chocolate chunk cookies your mom pulled from the oven when you were a wee one. These cookie crispies are an undeniably more sophisticated rendering of what’s commonly conceived as a cookie with a vastly less sweet taste that’s almost reminiscent of homemade animal crackers.
That is, if animal crackers were so fortunate as to have a swirl of melted dark chocolate and a sprinkling of sea salt. As for the texture, these chocolate crisps are crunchy and crackerlike, making the not-so-sweet sweets eminently noshable as well as dunkable. Hey, adults gotta have some fun, too.–David Leite
Chocolate Crisps FAQs
Yes! Our testers did have success using all-purpose gluten-free flour in this recipe. You will need to add an extra 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough.
Use a chocolate that you enjoy. If you prefer a sweeter cookie, go with milk chocolate, and if you prefer more of a classic chocolate chip cookie flavor, try the semi-sweet. If you are a dark chocolate lover or prefer a lightly sweetened cookie, use dark or bittersweet chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Crisps
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more as needed
- 7 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Scant 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water, at room temperature, plus more as needed
- 1/3 cup mild vegetable oil, plus more for the parchment paper
- 6 ounces semisweet, bittersweet, or milk chocolate, chopped fairly finely (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Have ready 2 baking sheets. Slick 4 large sheets of parchment paper with a little oil.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and table salt until combined, mashing any sugar lumps with the back of the spoon.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla and water. Still whisking, slowly add the oil to the vanilla mixture until combined. Immediately stir the vanilla mixture and the chocolate into the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. If the dough seems crumbly, gradually mix in just enough additional water, a teaspoon at a time, until it holds together sufficiently to be rolled out. Conversely, if the dough seems too soft, stir in up to 2 tablespoons additional flour.
- In a small bowl, combine the coarse sea salt and granulated sugar.
- Divide the dough in half. Place each portion between 2 sheets of oil-slicked parchment, grab a rolling pin, and roll each portion into a thin 12-inch square, cutting and patching the edges of the dough if necessary to make the sides fairly even.
- Remove the top sheet of parchment from each square and sprinkle the top of the dough evenly with up to 1/4 of the salt-sugar mixture.
- Replace the parchment paper and gently roll each square just enough so the salt and sugar sticks to the dough. Flip each square upside down, remove the top parchment paper from each square, and repeat with the remaining salt-sugar mixture, rolling again.
☞ TESTER TIP: These crisps have a salty sweet thing happening. If you prefer more sweet to salty, don’t use all the salt-sugar mixture.
- Remove the top sheets of parchment. Using a pizza cutter, pastry wheel, or large knife, cut each sheet of dough lengthwise and crosswise into 8 equal strips to form a grid of 1 1/2-inch crisps with uneven edges around the edges. (Try not to cut through the underlying parchment.) Slide the parchment and dough onto the baking sheets, leaving any uneven edges in place.
- Bake 1 baking sheet at a time on the middle rack for 15 to 18 minutes, until the dough is set but not firm in the center. Place the sheet on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining sheet of dough. If the crisps have baked together, slice them through again to separate.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 225°F (107°C).
- Trim the uneven dough edges from the crisps, nibbling them or saving them for dunking into coffee or sprinkling on ice cream. Separate the squares and spread them on a couple baking sheets lined with fresh parchment paper.
- Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the crisps once halfway through. Turn off the oven and let the crisps sit in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the crisps from the oven and place on the counter and let cool to room temperature. (You can store these in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 2 months.)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Rarely do you find a recipe that delivers on its headnotes great results with very little effort. The chocolate crisps were delicious—thin, crunchy, and full of barely sweet chocolate.
The first batch of these chocolate chip cookie crisps came out of the oven and was instantly pounced upon. Everyone, from parent to child, loved them.
I was certainly intrigued by this different spin on the chocolate chip cookie. Although I usually prefer chewy cookies, I couldn’t stop nibbling on these chocolate chip cookie crisps fresh out of the oven. I really liked the subtle use of sugar.
The next time I make this recipe I’d use Maldon salt or fleur de sel as a finish instead of kosher salt, as the next day the cookies tasted too salty.
What a fun little treat! I loved making these cookie crispies. The dough came together with ease. These are crispy and chocolatey with a hint of salt at times. They’re not overly sweet.
I used my pastry cutter to make fine lines and it worked beautifully. These would be fun to make with children and they freeze very well. Have fun with this one!
Absolutely fantastic chocolate chip cookie crisps—not too sweet, just perfect.
I must admit, this recipe was a challenge for the non-baker that I am. Make sure to read and reread the instructions prior to starting if you, like me, feel easily overwhelmed with any baking project. Thankfully I had the help of both my daughters.
I used GF all-purpose flour so I did have to use 2 extra tablespoons, as usual when making any recipe GF. After dividing the dough and placing it on the parchment paper, it’s smart to have someone hold the paper down so that you can easily roll the dough. Also, we kept on turning it 90° to make the intended square.
As soon as I removed them the first time from the oven I decided to use the pizza cutter again to divide the squares while the dough was still warm. The end result? Fantastic.
These chocolate chip cookie crisps were very tasty.
They were a bit difficult to work with as the dough didn’t hold together very well. I ended up adding additional water in small splashes from my fingers. I enjoyed the edge pieces more than those from the middle of the batch, which makes me think I should’ve cooked them a little longer. I’d also double the amount of salt and sugar sprinkled on the outside to give them a little more flavor.
Haven’t tried these yet, but they sound like something to add to my roster of crispy, not-to-sweet cookies to eat with brie-type cheeses and cheese spreads.
Another winner, Nancy!
thanks, ruthie!
Thanks, a lot. Hope you enjoy it. I wanted a chocolate chip flavor and munchable crispness. And as somebody said less sweetness similar to a graham cracker.
I thought these cookies were the bomb!!!! My all time favorite cookie is a crisp chocolate chip cookie, and the addition of salt sent these over the edge. I prefer more salt than maybe the average person does on my cookie, but I got no complaints. I did not have a bar of chocolate to chop, so Costco chocolate chips whirled up in the food processor did just fine! Rolling the dough in between sheets of parchment was easier than it sounds, and of course in the true “Palmer” tradition, I made a double batch, that’s how we roll. They kept their crunch for over a week.
Wonderful, Jen. We are so glad that you found (and loved) this recipe!
Great to hear you liked them! Yes, parchment makes rolling out cookie dough so much easier than it was when we all used a “floured board.” Keeps from having floury cookies also.
I made these last week – the mix of salty, sweet and chocolate is fabulous! The family isn’t such fans, so I am working on eating them by myself. I should have chopped my chocolate more finely. I couldn’t get them rolled quite thin enough because of the chocolate, but they are definitely crispy. I am even thinking of trying them again with no chocolate to make more of a sweet cracker. I’m going to use mostly white whole-wheat flour for a wheatier, nuttier taste. Of course, I have to finish up the chocolate chip crisps first. Such a hard job!
Love to hear that, Sarah! And yes, these crisps are not for everyone, especially those who just can’t get chewy, gooey, Toll House-style chocolate chip cookies out of their minds. But those who love these crisps REALLY love them. We have to say, we found them to be swell dippers for coffee, in case that helps you diminish that current batch of crisps. Looking forward to hearing about how it goes with the white whole-wheat flour…