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Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Traffic is one of the worst things about living in the DC metro area.  I spend an incredible amount of time on the road. In fact, last year, I drove over 20,000 miles. With all this time spent driving, I need to find creative ways to entertain myself. Lately, I’ve been talking to Siri (my iPhone) quite a bit (sad but true). The other day, on my commute home, I asked Siri to tell me how to make chocolate chip cookies.  Siri informed me that the basic ingredients for chocolate chip cookies are flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, eggs, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. For the rest of my commute home, I couldn’t help but think about all the ways you can fuck up a chocolate chip cookie using various combinations of those basic ingredients. 
 
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts on this site, I’m very particular about my chocolate chip cookies. There aren’t many that I like.  I’ve posted a couple of other recipes - one that is a soft chewy cookie which I’m not a big fan, and another that uses browned butter, which I love. The browned butter in that recipe is delicious but it’s an added step that complicates the mixing of the cookie dough. I want a chocolate chip cookie recipe that’s straightforward and easy to make that yields a cookie that is perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy in the center with a rich, chocolaty, nutty and caramelized flavor.  The recipe below meets all of my criteria.  The important step that takes a little planning and that you shouldn’t skip is the long hydration time for the cookie dough.  This allows the ingredients in the dough to fully soak up the liquid. So store your dough in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours if you want to make a more evenly browned, rich, and caramelized cookie. 
 
Adapted from David Leite’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, published July 2008 in the New York Times
 
Makes about 4 dozen small cookies
 
 



 

Ingredients

  • 8-1/2 ounces cake flour
  • 8-1/2 ounces bread flour
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter
  • 10 ounces light brown sugar
  • 8 ounces granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
  • 1-1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or chips, at least 60 percent cacao content 
  • Maldon sea salt
 
 



 

Instructions

 
Step 1: Weigh flour and then sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
 
Step 2: Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. 
 
Step 3: Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well.
 
Step 4: Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
 
Step 5: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
 
Step 6: Scoop 1 tablespoon mounds of dough onto baking sheet, Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 10 minutes. 
 
Step 7: Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. 
 



 

Comments

These are hands down the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted and I've tried all of the Cooks Illustrated iterations. Thank you so much for sharing this, Cucina Grandinetti!

Thanks, it's my favorite too.

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