Baking with Benedicte

by | Jun 16, 2020 | Australian Ballet

We asked Benedicte Bernet at The Australian Ballet about her favourite indulgent treat. She eagerly offered up her ultimate choc chip cookie recipe for members to enjoy. Why not whip up a batch and sit back with a cookie and a cup to tea to listen to Benedicte discuss life as a principal dancer on the Offline Podcast.

Benedicte’s Choc Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup granulated sugar(100 g)
¾ cup brown sugar(165 g), packed
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter(115 g), melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour(155 g)
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 oz milk or semi-sweet chocolate chunks(110 g)
4 oz dark chocolate chunk(110 g), or your preference

Method:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, salt, and butter until a paste forms with no lumps.
  2. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture.
  3. Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula. Be careful not to overmix, which would cause the gluten in the flour to toughen resulting in cakier cookies.
  4. Fold in the chocolate chunks, then chill the dough for at least 30 minutes*. For a more intense toffee-like flavor and deeper color, chill the dough overnight. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be.
  5. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 10 cm of space between cookies and 5 cm of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown.
  8. Cool completely before serving.
  9. Enjoy!

*Chilling the dough is crucial for a ‘chewy on the inside yet crunchy on the outside’ cookie!

 

Offline Podcast with Benedicte Bernet

Offline is a podcast series of honest conversations between host Alison and the people she finds inspiring. Alison’s conversation with Benedicte dives deep into the emotional and physical labour of pursuing ballet, as well as into Benedicte’s own struggles with injury and her relationship with her body.

Now you’ve made your cookies, settle down and listen to Benedicte discuss the finer details of a life lived in pointe shoes.

Click here to listen.