Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who ISN'T constantly on the lookout for a really awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe?
One of these days I'd like to try the fancy NYT chocolate chip cookie recipe but seeing as it calls for ingredients I can't afford right now (Valrhona feves, anyone?) I decided to look for a good recipe and tweak it to apply some of the things I learned in the NYT article (which I used to be able to access no problem but now it wants me to log in, so I can't link to it. But here is Not Martha's post about the cookies which includes info from the important parts of the article).

I used the recipe and cookie formation method (who knew there were options aside from "scoop. drop.") from Good Eats n' Sweet Treats.

I followed the recipe to a T except I refrigerated the dough for 24 hours before baking (NYT suggests 36 hours but I really really wanted a cookie and couldn't wait anymore) and sprinkled them with some sea salt before baking.

They were AMAZING. Best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. Worth the 24 hour wait. Next time I will gather my strength and exercise all the self control I have and refrigerate the dough for 36 hours to see if it makes a difference. Pray for me.



Recipe and pictures copied from Good Eats n' Sweet Treats for your convenience with my additions in red:


These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
sea salt

Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

Refrigerate for 36 (or, if you're weak, 24) hours.

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball.


Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves.


Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface.


Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.


Sprinkle each cookie with a small pinch sea salt.

Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Yield: About 18 large cookies

Note: the refrigerated dough was a little hard to scoop. I let it sit out for a bit before attacking it with a spoon. It warmed in my hands as I formed balls and became easier to work with.