Is there anything more comforting than chocolate chip cookies? They’re the perfect ‘I’m just a little hungry, ‘I need a sugar kick’, post-work, post-dinner, post-exercise, every-second-of-the-day kind of treat. And even though it’s not a Malaysian dish at all, chocolate chip cookies have a place in our soft, warm, hearts – and bellies – proven by the continued presence of that many decades-old kiosk selling this very item in malls throughout the country (you know the one we’re talking about!). Chocolate chip cookies were our childhood treat – for good grades, good behaviour or special occasions, and Malaysians continue to indulge in this tradition to this very day.
Many variations exist on what is possibly the world’s most favourite cookie. M&M’s, sprinkles, peanut butter chunks, gourmet chocolate and, more recently, flakes of fine sea salt, have all been included in chocolate chip cookie recipes to give it that extra oomph. We want in on some of that action and what better way to do that than to introduce one of our most popular local ingredients, especially when it comes to sweet treats? Bye bye brown sugar, hello gula Melaka! And to maintain that hip quotient, a little salt for extra points and posterity. If salted gula Melaka chocolate chip cookies are not a thing yet, they certainly will be!
All natural with a caramel-sweet flavour, gula Melaka is a great replacement for brown sugar in cookie recipes. And hey, if it makes one of our favourite indulgences just a tiny bit healthier, why not, right? Our salted gula Melaka chocolate chip cookies turned out so perfectly chewy and we couldn’t wait to dunk it into some warm milk. Every bite felt like a hug in our mouths!
Ingredients
- 200g all purpose flour
- 100g granulated sugar
- 100g gula Melaka, finely grated + extra chunks for sprinkling
- 125g butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt + extra for sprinkling
- 170g semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preparing the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, add white sugar, gula Melaka, softened butter, egg and vanilla essence. Beat with a mixer until smooth and thoroughly combined, but it’s ok if small chunks of gula Melaka
- Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir and fold to mix well.
- Stir in chocolate chips until they are evenly spread throughout the batter.
- Refrigerate batter for about 20 minutes
Baking salted gula Melaka chocolate chip cookies
- Heat your oven to 190°C and line your baking tray with some baking paper.
- Once your batter has chilled, remove it from the fridge and use two regular tablespoons to scoop up some batter and form balls of dough that are roughly 1 tablespoon in size. We like our cookies larger and chunkier, but feel free to use smaller spoons if you prefer your cookies bite-sized.
- Place your balls of salted gula Melaka cookie dough roughly five cm apart on your baking sheet to allow for spreading.
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt and gula Melaka over each ball of cookie dough. You can also use sea salt flakes.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. If you’re making smaller cookies, adjust the timing accordingly.
- Once baked, allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing and transferring to a cookie rack to cool.
- Serve warm or completely cooled with a glass of milk. Yum!
Our recipe makes roughly 18 large cookies.
Extra tips
- Allow your cookies to thoroughly cool before storing them in an air tight container.
- Your cookies will taste good even when they’re at room temperature, but warm cookies are always extra comforting. Heat your salted gula Melaka chocolate chip cookies in a toaster oven or in a microwave oven for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Easy, right? And the addition of gula Melaka takes this global favourite to a whole new level. Salted gula Melaka chocolate chip cookies are perfect as treats for special occasions, or just to satisfy your everyday cravings. Go make some today and share with us your cookie pics with the #butterkicap hashtag! Noms away!
