I've long been on a journey to find the recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. You know, the kind you can only buy in bakeries and wonder whether the cookies can truly be homemade and not chemically altered or manufactured. They have have the perfect ratio of chips to cookie, are chewy yet crisp and the chocolate is always gooey no matter the temperature.
I've tried dozens of recipes for chocolate chip cookies over the years. As a child, I grew up baking the toll-house cookies on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip package. I've tried the Neiman Marcus cookie, the Jacques Torres and dozens of other recipes. My friend Tara makes an awesome chocolate chip cookie using vanilla pudding in the mix. It's fluffy and light and though she's given me the recipe, I can't replicate the cookies to taste as good as hers. I made her promise to give me a tutorial so we'll consider that Part 2 of the series soon to come.
Last Christmas my little sister's daycare class needed cookies for its Christmas party. The teacher sent home a very specific recipe printed from All Recipes for parents to bake. We thought it was a little odd that the teacher would request this specific recipe, but after giving it a try, we quickly understood why. My family declared these cookies the best chocolate chip cookies.
The butter is melted and mixed with the sugar to create a rich toffee like cream. The toffee is combined with a full tablespoon of vanilla. The recipe calls for one whole egg and the yolk of another. I don't know the science behind the eggs, but I like to pretend the extra yolk makes them richer and fluffier. The last thing that sets this recipe apart from the rest is that you bake the cookies at 325 for 15 minutes. Low and slow they say. Again, I'm no Alton Brown, but somehow this cookie just works. I give it an 8 out of a 10 on the cookie scale.
My personal tip for baking the perfect cookie is to use the right pan. I'm telling you, the pan makes all the difference. Non stick? No way. Insulated? Just wrong. Using cooking spray? A sin. I've found that using a commercial cookie sheet lined with parchment paper makes the best cookies. They're never burnt. They never stick. And best of all? Clean up is a breeze.
Best, Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
adapted from All Recipes
Makes 12 large cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Using a medium cookie scoop, place six scoops per cookie sheet. Bake 15-17 minutes.
