The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Really? Pretty close. I am constantly on the lookout for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. This recipe came from the Cook’s Illustrated All Time Best Recipes magazine. You can find all the whys and whatnots about the sugars, the eggs, the butter, the science and all on their website. I learned a lot from reading about making these cookies.

These aren’t made with the typical cream-the-butter-and-sugars-add-the-flour method. You melt the butter, use more brown sugar, and use a whisk instead of a mixer.

The result? A cookie that’s chewy in the center, crispy on the edges, with a lovely toffee flavor. I did tweak the amount of chocolate chips and used some whole wheat flour with the white flour. I also doubled the recipe because I LOVE chocolate chip cookies and I need some in the freezer.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (if you want to double the recipe, the amounts are in parentheses)

1 ¾ (3 ½) cup all-purpose flour

½ (1) tsp. baking soda

14 (28) tbs. unsalted butter (that’s 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons if you use the 14 tbs. And unsalted is important)

¾ (1 ½) cup packed dark brown sugar (use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar which will make the cookies dry)

½ (1) cup granulated sugar

1 (2) tsp. salt

2 (4) tsp. vanilla

1 (2) large egg plus 1 (2) egg yolk

1 ¼ (2 ½) c. semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 3 ½ c. mixed chips – milk, white, semisweet, and peanut butter)

¾ (1 ½) c. pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional) 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (definitely – you don’t want the chemical taste of cooking spray). Whisk flour and baking soda together in bowl and set aside. 

Melt 10 (20) tablespoons butter in a 10” skillet over medium-high heat (avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned).  

 

These are in chunks because I made unsalted butter the other day

 Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes (if you make butter toffee, it’s the same nice brown color and aroma). Transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Add remaining 4 (8) tablespoons butter and stir until completely melted (I poured the hot melted butter over the remaining butter).  

Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt (it helps if this is already measured into a separate bowl) and vanilla to melted butter; whisk until fully incorporated.

 

 

Add egg and yolk (I used fresh eggs and they are smaller so I used an extra egg yolk); whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds.

 

 

Let mixture stand for 3 minutes (so the sugar dissolves), then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.

 

 

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Give dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed. 

Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (this is where I tweaked it a bit too. I think the cookies are too big with 3 tbs. of dough, so I used 2 tablespoons. You don’t want to make them too small though, or they will lose the chewy texture that makes them so yummy).  

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are soft – 10 to 14 minutes (it only took 10 minutes in my lower oven and 9 minutes in my upper oven), rotating (turning) baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; let cookies cool. Or let them cool 2 minutes, remove them to wire racks.  

Note the crackly texture on the top - you want this because you don't want a cakey texture

If you don’t double it and use the full 3 tablespoons of dough, you’ll get about 16 cookies. I used 2 tablespoons, doubled the recipe and got 48 or 4 dozen cookies.  

Cool to room temperature before serving (that’s the recipe’s recommendation – I suggest you get a glass of milk and have at it!)