26 June 2009 | Recipes
The best chocolate chip cookies
The last few weeks have been pretty busy. I got back last night from a week in Ketchum, ID, and I leave for Vancouver this morning. But I thought since I’ve been so bad about posting, I should make up for it by sharing this recipe. I found it in Cooks Illustrated which is an awesome magazine- if you like cooking, I suggest getting a subscription- it’s nothing like the other cooking magazines. They have a test kitchen where they come up with the best recipes by making something a bunch of different ways and using taste testers. Then they report the best way and explain the whole process (what worked, what didn’t and why). If you are dorky like me, you will find it very interesting…
Anyway, I know saying something is “the best” means it has to be the best. I don’t think this one will let you down.
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (when only the real deal will do…):
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 14 tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I’ve been using Ghirardelli 60% cacao. Yes ma’am.)
- preheat oven to 375
- line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper
- whisk together flour and baking soda, set aside
- melt 10 tbsp butter in a nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, and continue to cook until the butter is golden brown and smells delicious and nutty (this step is what makes these cookies so good, so let the butter get good and brown)
- pour melted butter into a bowl and add the other 4 tbsp butter
- when butter is melted, add both sugars, salt and vanilla and mix well
- add egg and yolk and whisk well for a couple of minutes, making sure there are no lumps and mixture is smooth
- stir in flour just until combined, then stir in chocolate chips (don’t overmix at this point)
- place dough in rounded, 3 tbsp portions on cookie sheets (8 scoops per sheet)
- bake sheets one at a time (they will cook more evenly that way) for 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking
- cookies should be golden and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft
- transfer cookies to cooling rack
- Try not to eat them all at once.