Paul Hollywood's Easy Hack For The Gooiest Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are few things more enticing on food-Tok than the sight of a chocolate chip cookie that's split in half with chocolate oozing from the center. A secret to achieving that gooey center comes from a baker known more for his bread than his chocolate chip cookies: Paul Hollywood. The blue-eyed baker and judge on "The Great British Bake Off" suggests adding an extra bit of chocolate to the cookie just before it bakes.

To get the kind of #foodporn-worthy gooey middle, Hollywood advises making a small indent in each cookie while they're on the tray, popping in a small piece of chocolate, and resealing it. "When you break it open, the gooeyness of the chocolate will just fall out, and it's delicious," Hollywood said on Wired's YouTube channel. Although he doesn't say whether or not to try this trick before or after baking, it is probably easier to make the indent, insert the chocolate, and reseal the cookie before baking.

As Hollywood explains in a TikTok video, a cookie in the United Kingdom is softer than what the British refer to as a biscuit (which is what we call a cookie in the U.S.). The key to that softness is butter, which is likely why his recipe for chocolate chip cookies, published in his 2016 book "The Weekend Baker," calls for more butter and sugar than you'd find in a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. Hollywood also uses baking powder instead of baking soda – likely for a cookie with less rise. Another Hollywood secret to enhancing the flavor of chocolate chip cookies is to use dark chocolate and to buy the best chocolate chips you can find.

But, there is one big mistake you can make with your oven before baking that could subject you to Hollywood's steely-eyed gaze: not having the service regulated or deep cleaned regularly. He also suggests having a good set of scales for more accuracy than you'd get with measuring cups.