Author: Sohla El-Waylly
Yield: 12 large cookies
Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand mixer), whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, and salt. Keep near the stove. Have the stand mixer and paddle attachment on standby. When the caramel is ready, you need to move quickly!
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and extracts.
In a medium pot, combine the butter and maple. Set over medium-high heat and cook, occasionally stirring and scraping the sides of the pot. The mixture will foam and swell in the pot. Keep cooking until the foaming subsides and the mixture is deeply browned and the color of dark walnut wood, about 6 to 8 minutes. (The caramel may look broken; that’s okay.) Immediately and carefully pour into the center of the bowl of flour.
Then immediately use the paddle attachment on medium speed to combine the maple and flour mixture until it comes together into an oily dough. Stream in the egg mixture, then increase the mixer to medium-high and beat until it no longer looks broken and greasy and becomes smooth and sticky, about 1 minute.
Portion & chill: Use a #20 cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a sheet tray lined with parchment (3 tbsp or 60 grams each). If the dough looks too runny to scoop, cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, then try again. Wrap and chill in the fridge at least 12 and up to 48 hours—the longer the better. (You can then freeze the cookie balls and bake from frozen as desired. Add 1 minute to the total bake time).
Bake: Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line two sheet trays with parchment. Heat the oven to 375F. Optionally, while the oven warms, chop the chocolate into 12 jagged pieces for pressing into the cookies straight out of the oven.
Evenly space 6 cookies on each prepared sheet tray and bake on tray at a time until deeply browned along the edges, puffed, and just set in the middle, about 12 minutes. Optionally, immediately press a piece of chocolate into the center of each cookie and sprinkle with flaky salt. Cool on the tray. Best eaten while warm.