Have you ever been to the Metropolitan Market (aka the Met Market) in Seattle? It’s a great, local grocery store in the Seattle area with eight different locations. Think similar concept to Whole Foods *organic, natural, and locally-sourced groceries) with a more local, neighborhood market type of feel. That’s the Met Market.
Groceries aside, the reason you’ll want to make a stop at any Met Market next time you’re in Seattle isn’t necessarily for their produce. It’s for their famous chocolate chip cookie, known to many Seattleites as “The Cookie”. Yep– it’s that good.
The Met Market has proclaimed this baked good “Seattle’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookie” and, although a lofty claim, we don’t disagree. It’s an extra-large cookie made with both semisweet and bittersweet Callebaut chocolate, toasted walnuts, and the perfect little sprinkle of fleur de sel. New cookies are made hot nearly every hour at the Met Market, so you can experience them at their prime, with a crispy, golden exterior and a gooey, warm interior. #swoon
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This (almost) Metropolitan Market cookie recipe is the closest thing we’ve been able to create in a home kitchen to The Cookie. It’s simple, decadent, and a step (or two or three) above your pedestrian chocolate chip cookie.
Metropolitan Market Cookie Recipe: Ingredients
You’ll need a few key ingredients to make a great replica of The Cookie:
- Belgian chocolate. The Met Market makes their cookies with two kinds of high-quality chocolate, which makes this the ultimate chocolate lover’s cookie: Callebaut semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. You can purchase the chocolate used in the cookies if you’re actually shopping at the Met Market, or, we were able to find semisweet Callebaut chocolate at Winco (check their bulk section in the back of most locations), and used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips (found at most regular grocery stores). If you can only use one type of chocolate go with semisweet.
- Toasted walnuts. These are key to getting that amazing crunch and texture in your cookies. You’ll toast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, coarsely chop them, and then gently mix them into your cookie dough at the very end. The texture of the toasted walnuts are truly the perfect complement to the sweetness and soft texture of this cookie.
- Fleur de sel. No great cookie is made without SALT. You’ll want to use some regular kosher salt or sea salt within the actual cookies, but a sprinkle of this finishing salt will enhance all of the amazing flavors you already have in this cookie.
“The Cookie”: Methodology
The key to making cookies that so closely replicate those at the Met Market is baking them at a high temperature to achieve a beautiful deep golden brown color on the outside. Once your oven has preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, let it sit for 20-30 minutes before baking your cookies to ensure it’s nice and stable at that high temperature.
This recipe makes 12 very large cookies. Happy baking!
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The (Almost) Metropolitan Market Cookie Recipe
4.75 from 8 votes
Brooke Eliason
Servings: 12 large cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Difficulty: Easy
"The Cookie" is one of the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever consume, with Belgian chocolate, toasted walnuts, and some fleur de sel.
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 cup butter, slightly softened*
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips**
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips**
- fleur de sel for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread walnuts onto cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until aromatic and have a slightly toasted appearance on top. Remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let walnuts cool completely and chop coarsely.
In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour, salt, and soda all at once and mix until just combined- it's okay if there are some streaks of flour left in the dough. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until incorporated- just a few seconds. Do not overmix.
Scoop slightly heaping cookie dough balls using a 12 cookie scoop***, and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets, 4 per sheet. Flatten cookie dough balls slightly with palm and sprinkle each cookie dough ball with a pinch of fleur de sel.
Bake cookies one sheet at a time for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are a deep golden brown on the top and edges. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before eating.
Notes
*We used salted butter for this recipe to counteract all of the sugar and chocolate, but it does lend to a saltier cookie, especially considering the cookies are topped with a sprinkle of fleur de sel. Use unsalted butter for a more standard salt-to-cookie ratio. You'll also want to make sure your butter isn't too soft when you make these cookies- just a few seconds in the microwave will slightly soften them so that you can cream them in a stand mixer with sugar is perfect (not room temperature).
**If you're in a pinch or only have access to standard chocolate chips, we recommend using semisweet chocolate chips for this cookie.
*** A heaping size 12 cookie scoop will give you a cookie that's close in size to the cookies served at the Met Market. If you don't have a cookie scoop, you can weigh each cookie until the dough balls are 6 ounces, then gently round them with your hands, and flatten the tops with the palm of your hands. If you prefer to make smaller cookies, you may use a size 16 cookie scoop and bake the cookies for about 10-12 mins or until golden brown on the edges and top.
- You may substitute another nut in this cookie such as macadamia nuts or pecans.
- You may use regular brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar, but dark brown sugar helps develop that deep, wonderful flavor that we've enjoyed in every bite of The Cookie.
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