Sometimes the pressure of perfection gets to me, too. We've all been there, little cookie, we've all been there.
That "Other" Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Everyone in the free world has baked and declared "perfect!" the chocolate chip cookie recipe by Jacques Torres' printed in the New York Times, but I just haven't had the time to try it myself and really, just because a whole bunch of other people say it's good and just because you can because of who you are doesn't mean you can go and cheat on the Chocolate Chip Cookie that you love and to which you made your original vow of loyalty and then carelessly leave a voicemail for that other unnecessarily decadent chocolate chip cookie asking a favor to please take its name off its phone, just have it as a number...
Hm. Media meltdown. Sorry.
'Til Death (By Chocolate) Do Us Part
My all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is Alton Brown's recipe for "The Chewy." It was the first time in my baking life I had ever encountered melted butter in a cookie recipe. I have been loyal ever since. With ever-so-minor personal modifications (mostly because I refuse to buy tools like tiny ice cream scoopers just to bake cookies), this is The Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie.
The Perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
wholly based Alton Brown's recipe for The Chewy, with slight modifications noted
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2¼ cups bread flour (Sarah's mod: all-pupose flour)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (Sarah's mod: ½ bc 1 teaspoon was too much and I'm a saltaholic)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk (Sarah's mod: I have substituted half&half, cream, and buttermilk all to unnoticeably different results)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
You will also need:
#20 ice cream scooper (Sarah's mod: tablespoon)
Parchment paper (Sarah's mod: what?)
Chocolate Chip Cookie Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. (I don't pre-heat the oven this early because I let the cookie dough chill for at least an hour before baking not because I know it's better in some way, but because I am always distracted by something that requires more than 15 minutes of my attention, usually twitter. Also, I had to turn my oven down to 350.)
Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Cream melted butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add egg, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Add flour mixture a little bit at a time and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough (I let mine chill until stiff, usually 1 hour, though I have let it chill overnight to fantastic results.)
Scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. (I scooped cookie dough by the tablespoonful onto unlined, ungreased cookie sheets, resulting in about 8 cookies per sheet. This all depends on the size of your cookie sheet.)
Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. (When I used dark-colored cookie sheets, the cookies baked in about 7 minutes.)
Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
djjewelz says
stop being so emo...you sweet chocolaty sensation.
emma says
I think this needs to be a poster. On my wall.
Craig says
Cookie on the edge - kind of describes my view of the holidays
Sarah J. Gim says
jewelz: angst! poor little chocolate chip cookie has angst!
emma: could you imagine the nighmares you would have of SuperEmoCookie?!
craig: holiday leads to mental bakedown!
catty says
mmmm chewy is the best kind of cookie :)
Diana says
I've heard that this one is a keeper! I do like my cookies chewy...
And I also like your modifications. Who needs an ice cream scooper? Hello, it's called a SPOON.
I use them well.
Craig says
I wonder if letting the cookie dough chill overnight is basically a way for TheDelicious to get the best out of both recipes.
That way she isn't cheating.
Sarah J. Gim says
Catty: I waffle between chewy and thin/crispy, but who in the their right minds would ever like CAKEY?! I can't even imagine the idea of eating it (which, obviously, I have otherwise this would be an unfair comment), let alone preferring it to the wonders of chewy. Or crispy.
Diana: I like to call mine "mini shovel."
Craig: YOU, craig, have made the comment of the day.
Jackie at PhamFatale.com says
I learned something new today; I had no clue you could cut the baking time in half by using dark-colored cookie sheets... Chewy cookies are my favorite. These look delicious.
Sarah J. Gim says
jackie: I don't think that's an actual "thing" - the cutting bake time in half. it just seemed that the cookies were getting dark on the bottom pretty fast... Will research the science of this (which is a dangerous activity - science!) and let you know...
Lisa says
So hey, I didn't know that you were the Tastespotting girl. I've been browsing TS for a very long time now!
And because I'm one of those weirdos who can cook and bake equally well, I'll enter myself if it's not too late. My favorite cookies are probably chocolate chip. Or peanut butter balls... Although I consider them more of a candy type thing.
Lisa says
Oh, and BTW.... You really, really, REALLY should just go buy a bunch of parchment. I get pissy when I don't have it in my kitchen. You don't get burnt bottoms as much.