The Ultimate Double Chocolate Maple Cookies

You absolutely must try these cookies. I know, you probably have dozens of cookie recipes already, each one claiming to be the best, but these are truly the best cookies I’ve ever tasted 🙂

Recently, new players have been entering the Parisian patisserie and boulangerie scene. Young pastry chefs and bakers are bringing fresh and different approaches to this world. As everything evolves and updates, so do our calorie counts! More and more international influences are making their way into this quintessentially French domain—cookies are now an integral part of patisserie display cases, while babka and cinnamon rolls have become regular fixtures in many establishments.

One of our latest discoveries is La Panifacture, a small boutique in one of Paris’s most up-and-coming neighborhoods, opened a few months ago by Chris Machado. A random tasting of exceptional bread led him to leave the fashion industry, where he had worked for many years, to study the art of baking.

In July 2024, Machado opened La Panifacture, a complex consisting of a production area visible through large glass walls, and a small retail boutique that attracts many people from the neighborhood as well as enthusiasts from further afield.

The shop sells outstanding pastries, like the suisse chocolat that is, in my opinion, the best in Paris. They offer a variety of breads made from ancient wheat (we tried several that were excellent), some of the best focaccia we’ve ever tasted, and several types of cookies.

After tasting Machado’s double chocolate maple cookies, I decided I had to get the recipe for you. Machado graciously agreed to share it, and after testing it in our apartment, here it is especially for you. I made some regular-sized cookies and also one giant celebratory one 🙂

Double Chocolate Maple Cookies
Makes about 8-10 cookies (can use 9cm diameter rings)

Ingredients
Cookie dough:
160g butter, softened
120g dark brown sugar or muscovado sugar
55g high-quality maple syrup
55g egg (medium egg)
255g all-purpose flour
80g high-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (72%-80%)
80g high-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (59%-60%)

Decoration:
Fleur de sel

Preparation
1. In a mixer bowl, combine butter and sugar. Add maple syrup and egg and continue mixing.
2. Add flour and continue mixing. Add both types of chocolate and mix gently.
3. Transfer the cookie dough to a surface covered with plastic wrap. Roll the dough inside the plastic wrap into a cylinder about 7cm in diameter. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the rings on the sheet.
5. Cut the cookie dough cylinder into 8-10 discs of 80-100g each. Form each disc into a ball.
6. Place a ball of dough inside each ring and flatten slightly (the cookie will spread during baking).
7. Bake for about 7-8 minutes, remove from the oven, press lightly with a teaspoon on the surface of the cookies, and sprinkle a little fleur de sel on each cookie. Note: it’s recommended not to overbake to prevent the cookies from drying out.
8. Remove from the rings (while the cookie is still warm) and cool to room temperature.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon