If I go to a bakery and there is a chocolate chip cookie available, I must try it. It is my duty, and I will not fail. As such, I have eaten many chocolate chip cookies, and friends, they come in so many textures, densities, flavor profiles, shapes, and sizes that it’s strange they are all supposedly the same kind of cookie. I have tasted cakey versions, crispy versions, versions that are more chocolate than cookie, kinds with huge flecks of salt on top and ones made with half white and half whole wheat flour.
Through this very meticulous, science-based cookie eating research, I have come to a conclusion as to what is the best kind of chocolate chip cookie. According to me, a professional, a chewy chocolate chip cookie is best. The edges should be crispy, but give way easily to a center that is just set. The cookie itself should taste of toffee and golden butter, with generous pockets of melty bittersweet chocolate.
After a lot of chocolate chip cookie making — almost as much as chocolate chip cookie eating — I have determined that this is that cookie. This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen for a cast iron skillet cookie, which you certainly ought to try, but since I wanted “normal” cookies, I portioned them out as such. The best thing about this is the dough freezes very easily, so you can pop a cookie or two or five at a time into the oven whenever the mood strikes instead of endeavoring to (and unfortunately succeeding in) eating a dozen cookies at once.
NOTE: These are best eaten warm from the oven, but they also reheat wonderfully with a quick 15-second blast in the microwave.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
From America’s Test Kitchen
Yield: about 15 cookies
- 9 + 3 tbs butter
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (or chips)
Heat the oven at 375*F, oven rack in the middle.
Brown 9 tbs of butter. When it is browned, add in 3 tbs of butter and stir until melted.
In a large bowl, combine the sugars, egg egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. Add in the melted butter mixture and whisk for 30 seconds. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then whisk it for 30 more seconds. Do this 2 more times — the end mix should look very smooth, glossy, and pale.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Dump this all into the butter mixture at once and using a wooden spoon, stir as few times as possible until the flour disappears into the dough. Add in the chopped chocolate and stir only as few times as it takes to incorporate the chocolate.
Form into golf ball-sized balls (or bigger, just have to likely adjust bake time) and space them ~2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking on them about halfway through. The moment they are slightly golden and crinkled-looking, pull them from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet on a cooling rack for an additional 5 minutes. Then let them cool the rest of the way on the cooling rack, being sure to enjoy at least one warm.
To freeze, put the dough balls onto a baking sheet and stick it in the freezer until it is frozen solid. Put those into a freezer bag and store until ready to use. Bake from frozen in a 375*F oven for 10 minutes, then check in on them every 2 minutes until they seem done. I wish I could provide more accurate timing here, but I’ve had some batches take 20 minutes to bake from frozen and others take 12???
1 Comment
Just made these – yum! That caramelly flavor is unique and delicious!
April 11, 2020 at 3:46 pm