Mayfair Cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 12 large cookies

Dry

  • 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour

  • ½ tsp baking powder

  • ¼ tsp baking soda

  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

Wet

  • 170 g unsalted butter, softened

  • 150 g light brown sugar

  • 75 g caster sugar

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate

  • 250 g milk chocolate chunks
    (Ben’s uses large chunks rather than chips)

Instructions

1. Cream butter and sugar

Beat butter, brown sugar, and caster sugar 2–3 minutes until creamy.

2. Add egg and vanilla

Mix until smooth.

3. Combine dry ingredients

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add to the dough and mix just until combined.

4. Add chocolate

Fold in the large milk chocolate chunks.

5. Chill

Refrigerate the dough 30–60 minutes
(important for thick bakery-style cookies).

6. Portion

Roll into large balls (~70 g each).

Place well spaced on a baking tray.

7. Bake

Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 12–14 minutes

Edges should be golden but centers still soft.

8. Rest

Let cookies sit 5–10 minutes before moving.

Key tricks for the real “Ben’s Cookies” texture

  • Use large chocolate chunks, not chips

  • Underbake slightly

  • Make big cookies

  • Use more brown sugar than white

  • Chill dough before baking

✅ Extra trick used by many bakeries:
Press extra chocolate chunks on top of each dough ball before baking.

Trick #1 — The butter temperature trick

Instead of just softened butter:

Use butter that is soft but still slightly cool.

Why:

  • Warmer butter → cookies spread thin

  • Cooler butter → thicker cookies with gooey centers

This keeps the center underbaked while the edges cook.

Trick #2 — The chocolate chunk “heat reservoir”

Use large chocolate chunks (not chips).

Why it works:

  • Large chunks retain heat longer

  • They slow the cooling of the cookie center

  • The cookie feels softer and gooier longer

Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that hold their shape and melt less.

Trick #3 — Slight underbaking

Take cookies out when:

  • edges = golden

  • center = pale and slightly puffy

The center finishes cooking from carryover heat on the tray.

This is exactly how bakery cookies stay soft for hours.

Trick #4 — Rest the dough overnight

Many bakeries rest dough 12–24 hours.

This does two things:

1️⃣ Flour fully hydrates → thicker cookies
2️⃣ Sugars caramelize more → deeper flavor

Naomi Hasegawa