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Once in a while we post a recipe that goes “viral” in the cyberworld. The cranberry chess pie, guest-blogged by Erin of Erin’s Food Files, comes to mind. That recipe took a traditional Thanksgiving pie and seriously jazzed it up! (click here for the recipe) Surely, area grocery stores saw an increase in expected cranberry sales during the month of November from that one recipe alone.
The recipe below, created by food stylist Mary Carter, is worthy of the same recognition. Mary took a basic recipe and masterfully created a delicious cookie using high quality chocolates, pecans and sea salt. The end result is a cookie that is not only beautiful on the plate, but distinctive with its salty and sweet combination.
The Ultimate Southern Cookie
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup margarine
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1 teaspoon best quality vanilla
- 21/2 -3 cups self rising flour
- 1 cup best quality milk chocolate chunks, plus ¼ cup
- 1 cup best quality semi-sweet chocolate chunks, plus ¼ cup
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- Makes about 2 dozen
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, margarine and sugars. Stir in eggs, vanilla and ½ teaspoon salt. Fold in flour ½ cup at a time. When batter is no longer sticky to the touch, stop adding flour. (The amount of flour is variable in this recipe. Depending on how your dough comes together, you may use vary flour amounts.
- Stir in 1 cup each chocolate chunks. Scoop with a number ten scoop (3 ounce) onto an insulated baking sheet. Scoop 12 cookies per baking sheet. Gently flatten the top of each cookie with the palm of your hand.
- Place a few chocolate chunks and pecans on top of each cookie. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt over the surface. Bake until JUST tan, about 10 minutes. This will toast the pecans, and leave the cookie center dense and not cake-like.
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16 Responses to “The Ultimate Southern Cookie”
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Oh my gosh! This cookie is the best! The combination of chocolate and salt on the top of each one is what makes it so sensational…and addictive. Truly, the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever eaten. Congrats to Mary, a fab chef (and human being), for coming up with something so good!!
Whoa. Looks amazing.
Mary’s cookies are the best! She is definitely the Queen of Cookies. You can find her at the Sevier Park farmers market.
The cookie is delicious, but it is the styling and photography I am obsessed with. I wish she offered classes!
I made the cranberry chess pie this past weekend. It’s even better the day after baking, not that there was much left…looking forward to making these cookies!
I too am a fan of the cranberry chess pie–particularly after I had the idea to flavor it with Grand Marnier. My family LOVED it, and I’m sure they’ll love these cookies, as well. Keep those great recipes coming!
I wish you would put together a little cookbook of the wonderful recipes you have printed. I remember the baked French Toast which was wonderful but someone borrowed my recipe and I am now without it because they didn’t return it. All of your recipes that I have done have been outstanding and if nothing else, I need to be able to reprint them and put them in a folder to make my own booklet!!! Thanks for sharing all of your wonderful ideas with us!!!
Mary is definitely the “Cookie Queen”
Mary’s cookies are the BEST and is FiftyForward ever lucky to have this fabulous foodie as the 2012 chair of our Crown Affair on April 19. Think the food will be fantastic? You know it!
These sound amazing! Any suggestions for making at altitude?
Hey, thanks for the mention! :)
These cookies look great!! However, I don’t ever use margarine, and I wonder if it’s a necessity in this recipe. Could I sub just more butter? Or is shortening a better substitute? I do have Crisco on hand. I might have to try a couple adaptions and see what works. I LOVE the sea salt on top! That’s the perfect addition to any chocolate chip cookie!
We will find out!!!
Will check with the author of the recipe! elizabeth
Her is the reply on why Mary Carter uses margarine in the recipe above:
“The reason I use the wildly UNpopular margarine in this recipe is because hydrogenated fats enhance the texture in a way that butter cannot. Hydrogenated fat (vegetable oil) gives me a lighter cookie. I lean toward margarine over Crisco because I like the pre-measured 1/2 cups sticks.”-Mary Carter
“The reason I use the wildly UNpopular margarine in this recipe is because hydrogenated fats enhance the texture in a way that butter cannot. Hydrogenated fat (vegetable oil) gives me a lighter cookie. I lean toward margarine over Crisco because I like the pre-measured 1/2 cups sticks.”-Mary Carter
Mary’s cookies are easily our favorite sweet treat. The Ultimate Southern Cookie is a real joy to savor –if I don”t forget and just chow down–they are soooo good. Mary has several other cookies that she produces of which our long time favorite is her “Breakfast cookie”.
Can”t wait to get a few more…glenn and denise