The famous pan banging adobo spiced chocolate chip cookies ~ are you adventurous enough to try this fun Filipino-American fusion recipe?
Do you love to experiment with bold new flavors, or are you just curious? Either way you’re in the right place. Let’s see ~ these are ooey gooey chewy chocolate chip cookies for starters, but there’s a whole lot more going on here. Adobo chocolate chip cookies take their flavor cues from Filipino adobo ~ a dish made by marinating and stewing meat in a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. I know, sounds a lot weird. This fusion of Filipino and Western favorites is the brainchild of blogger Ali Balingit from her fun dessert cookbook Mayumu.
Ok, so what do adobo chocolate chip cookies taste like?
As you bite into the cookie you get the chewy texture with melty chocolate/caramel situation we’re all familiar with. But something’s definitely different ~ and while you might think it would be the pop of those pink peppercorns, for me it was the lingering background note of bay. So unexpectedly lovely.
The soy sauce? I don’t taste it, it just contributes to a rich umami flavor. The finishing salt is wonderful and the peppercorns…they have the final word and that word is wow.
These cookies are good! I would definitely serve them to friends, definitely with some great after dinner coffee.
adobo chocolate chip cookies ingredients
all the usual suspects:
- butter
- flour
- white and dark brown sugar
- chocolate
- the original recipe calls for chopped chocolate, I used chips (I find that chopped chocolate gets lost in cookies.)
- baking soda
- vanilla
and then …
- bay leaves
- pink peppercorns
- cider vinegar
- soy sauce!
the unusual flavors in adobo chocolate chip cookies
There’s no doubt about it, when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, we’re not in Kansas anymore. This recipe challenges our assumptions about what a cookie is. The savory elements like bay leaves, pink peppercorns, vinegar and soy sauce sound crazy but here’s how it shakes out…
- bay leaves
- for me this is the biggest revelation. There are no actual bay leaves in this cookie, they’re infused into the browned butter. The background note that comes through in the cookies is really appealing.
- pink peppercorns
- pink peppercorns have a sweet, fruity, and slightly spicy flavor, but they’re a dried berry, not actually a pepper. Note they belong to the same botanical family as cashews and pistachios, so they can cause serious allergic reactions in people sensitive to tree nuts. A possible sub might be Sichuan peppercorns.
- soy sauce
- adds a salty umami flavor that doesn’t read as soy sauce, just yummy richness.
What’s pan banging all about?
The pan banging technique used in this adobo chocolate chip cookies recipe is a fun one, here’s how it works: when you take a sheet of cookies out of the oven you immediately rap, bang, or slam it sharply on a hard surface. What does this do? It deflates/flattens the cookies so they go from slightly puffy to wrinkly and flattened. (The pan-banging method for cookies was popularized by fellow recipe developer Sarah Kieffer.) I use it any time my cookies come out a little puffier than I’d like, or when I’m going for those nice chewy wrinkles.
I use the pan banging technique on other cookies:
baking tips
Don’t skip the bay leaf/browned butter step, it really makes the cookies special.
Use a regular soy sauce for this recipe. I used Tamari and it was great. A dark or intense soy sauce will be too salty. Some testers preferred to use 3 tablespoons rather than 4.
Use dairy free butter and flax egg to make them vegan.
According to the author the adobo cookie dough flavor really benefits from chilling overnight, but be aware that makes the dough quite stiff and will require time to rest at room temperature before scooping.
I was a little too generous with the pink pepper on my cookies, I’d use just a hint next time.
the final word
Adobo chocolate chip cookies are definitely worth a try. The base is a great chocolate chip cookie, which goes a long way for me. I think the most controversial ingredient/flavor for most of you will be the pink peppercorns. You can always reduce them to the merest hint of a sprinkle. I think you’ll be pleased!
more chocolate chip cookie recipes
- Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe ~ the secret’s out!
- Buckwheat Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or 4 dried bay leaves)
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk , at room temperature
- 1/4 cup soy sauce , I use Tamari.
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 10 ounces dark chocolate chips , or chopped chocolate
garnish
- 1 Tbsp pink peppercorns, Note pink peppercorns belong to the same botanical family as cashews and pistachios, so they can cause serious allergic reactions in people sensitive to tree nuts.
- flakey sea salt , I used Maldon
Instructions
- Melt the butter and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and allow it to gently bubble away until the milk solids in the butter start to turn brown. Stir often, and watch it carefully so it doesn't burn. This might take up to 10 minutes. Transfer the butter to a large mixing bowl, remove the bay leaves, and set aside to cool while you proceed with the recipe.
- Whisk the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.
- Blend the two sugars into the cooled butter, and be sure to work out any lumps in your brown sugar. Blend in the egg + yolk, soy sauce, vanilla and vinegar.
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and when the flour is almost incorporated add the chopped chocolate (or chips) and finish folding until no dry flour remains.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Note: if you leave the dough overnight you will need to leave it out on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour to allow it to soften to a scoop-able consistency the next day.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Lightly toast the peppercorns in a skillet over medium heat, keeping them moving almost constatnly until they become fragrant. Don't let them brown. Crush the peppercorns with the back of a large spoon.
- Use a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop to portion out balls of dough. I roll them in my palms and then place on the baking sheet, 3 inches apart. Top with the sea salt and crushed pink peppercorns. Note: Bake one sheet at a time, returning your cookie dough to the fridge while the cookies bake.
- Bake for 12 minutes or until the cookies are just barely beginning to turn golden around the edges. Right after you take the cookies out of the oven rap the pan sharply on a hard surface ~ this will deflate and flatten the slightly puffed cookies. Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a rack.
- Repeat the process until all the cookies are baked.
Can’t wait to try these! Very interesting!