Monday, January 26, 2009

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. Period. Redux.

So, here is another touched up post for you. This recipe is so good, I don't even feel like a cheater posting it twice. Hey, at least this time the pictures are better! A little bit anyway. Heh.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 tbl flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbl) butter, melted & cooled until warm
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Mix together the dry ingredients and set them aside. Mix the butter and sugars together till fully mixed. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Mix in the chips. Scoop out scant 1/2 cups of dough and roll them into balls. Pull the dough into 2 equal halves. Place each half a ball craggy side up onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving ample room between each half. Put them in the oven and bake them till the edges are starting to brown, but the center is still unset. Do not over bake! Cool the cookies on the sheets for a couple minutes then move them to a wire rack to finish up.

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I love chewy chocolate chip cookies. I really do, it's a weakness. So when I saw a blog post titled The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever! I just had to check them out. The recipe is originally from Americas Test Kitchen and I'm pretty sure I saw this episode. Couple the trust I have in ATK with Baking Blondes taste in sweets and I was totally making these cookies. Yes. I did. And they are the best. And here they are.

First off preheat your oven to 325. Now you should whisk together your dry ingredients, it makes things come out better. I never do. Ah well. You want to melt the butter, I just tossed it in a small sauce pan over low heat, broke it into pieces and stirred it for a minute or so. You can do it in the microwave too. Let it cool then pour it in a bowl with the sugars. Now the recipe didn't say dark or light brown sugar... so I just used half a cup of each. Besides, I only had a half cup of dark anyway. So it worked out. But you want all the sugars and the butter mixed together well. Now you are going to need to separate an egg. I do it by cracking the egg into one of my hands (which is over a bowl) and then passing the yolk back and forth between my hands while holding all my fingers just a tiny bit apart. Hopefully that made sense or you have some method of your own, because I'm afraid that's the best way I can think of to explain it. Do it however you do, then toss the whole egg and the yolk into the bowl. The vanilla too. Mix this up well then add your dry mixture. Combine it well then add the chips and stir some more. At this point in the recipe I came across two challenges. The first was the 1/2 cup of dough measurement for the cookies. That seemed immense. And it was. I wound up using 1/4 cups on the second batch and they were still huge. (UPDATE: The reason they were initially so huge is because I was doing it wrong. You don't want to press the two halves back together, they are two separate cookie portions. The recipe and post have been edited to reflect this. I now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.) Now enormous cookies aren't a bad thing, but next time I think I will use big rounded tablespoons and get smaller ones. The second challenge was keeping my girlfriend out of the dough. Heh. Anyway line your cookie sheet with parchment paper, take balls of dough and pull them in half. Then turn them so the craggy side it up and put each half on the cookie sheet with a goodly amount of space between them. Ripping the dough balls in half gives the cookies a nice textured top. Now bake them. Should take about 10-14 minutes. You want them not quite done in the middle but starting to brown on the edges. Cool them for a couple minutes on the sheet then transfer them to a wire rack to finish up. I also suggest eating one hot. Maybe with a scoop of ice cream on it. Yeah. I think that's a good idea.

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can we just say that your cookies are so perfectly round? So perfect. If you say they are the best, we need to try them!

Spryte said...

Those are gorgeous!! And your pics are soooo much better with your new camera!! I think I want a new camera... or maybe I just need to learn to use mine better!

Bob said...

Duo: Thanks! Although to be fair, it was just that one cookie that was perfectly round. ;)

Spryte: Thanks! Heh, I could use to learn how to use this one better too. I should probably just sit down and read the manual, instead of just skimming it...

CrumbsandPixels said...

Looks sooo good! Can't wait to try this recipe!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

They look so big, like the size of my hand big. Love it!

Michele said...

I am such a sucker for a chocolate chip cookie! Must make some soon!

pigpigscorner said...

Looks delicious! I love chewy cookies too, looks like I have to give this a try!

vanillasugarblog said...

melt the butter huh? Hmmm, I am trying this one for sure. I mean those came out pretty damn perfect.

Reeni said...

I'm all for the chewy cookie too! I have been craving brownies and chocolate chips cookies since Friday. I had to talk myself out of making them at least ten times since. These might just send me to the kitchen, my will power can't hold out against the perfect cookie!

Bob said...

Heather: Thanks! If you make them let me know how it turns out for you. :)

Clumbsy: Thanks! Big cookies are a good time. Heh.

Michele: You should definitely try this recipe the next time you make some. I offer some kind of guarantee. :)

pigpig: Thanks! If you do, let me know how you like them. :)

Dawn: Thanks!I thought melting the butter was a bit odd, but it works out so well.

Reeni: They are so worth it, I promise. I've been meaning to whip up a batch of the brownies soon, I need to take new photos of that recipe too. That's a good excuse, right? :)

Anonymous said...

I think I'll just have to make them!

Patti said...

I've been on the hunt for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I think I may have found it! I'll definitely give these a try next time I make a batch.

Justine said...

oooh chewmy cookies are the best! also I saw your blog onVisions of Sugar plum and noticed you said wicked... as a fellow Bostonian, thumbs up for having a wicked awesome blog : )

Tangled Noodle said...

I'm pretty much an equal opportunity choc-chip cookie eater - chewy, crispy, cakey, it doesn't matter. But these might tip the vote in favor of chewy!

Bob said...

noble pig: Do it! You won't regret it. :)

Patti: Let me know how it turns out for you.

Justine: Ha! Awesome, thanks. :)

Tangled Noodle: I definitely prefer chewy, although I won't turn my nose up to other kinds. ;)

Emily said...

Gosh. These certainly look the best! I'm going to have to try these soon.

Love these pictures!

Carrie said...

I love chocolate chip cookies, these look wonderful!

Karen said...

Yes, these are great pictures! You got a new camera? What kind - details please :) I like the big texture look of the cookies and would never thought that tearing the dough in half would result in this. Nice tip.

Bob said...

Emily and Carrie: Thanks! :)

Karen: The camera I have is only sorta new. It was a hand me down and I've had it for a while now, but it's a different one than the one I used for the original CCC post. That one didn't have a close up macro so it didn't get good food pics.

McTasty said...

Will definitely have to try these!! Check out my chocolate pecan chunk recipe,or pecan chocolate chunk, not sure! I must say those are pretty good as well!

Bob said...

McTasty: Thanks, I will!

Kiezie said...

You know, I love a GOOD ccc, but it has to be good. I mean really good. I don't like store bought cookies and I have a huge weakness for home made cookies. I haven't made ccc in so long because I really don't need to eat the whole batch. But really, do you have to put these in front of me? Do you really have to tempt me into the kitchen to bake? Please. Enough. It's too good!! :) But seriously, thanks for the great post!!! I can't wait to try them.

Hayley said...

these look great!

Bob said...

ChefBliss: Heh, thanks! I must admit, I do enjoy tempting people. I'm a cruel man. ;)

Hayley: Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Chocolate chip cookies! My favorite! Thanks for the recipe!

Abbie
FoodsThatFit.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

I made these cookies today and they turned out really good . Thanks for the recipe .

bini

Bob said...

Abbie: You're welcome! :)

bini: Glad you liked them! :)

Anonymous said...

Exact recipe from Cooks Illustrated. Best cookies I've ever encountered.

Bob said...

Anonymous: I quite agree.

Gwen said...

I just did something I've neer done before...threw away an entire batch of cookies! I tried making some and they turned out totally flat, don't know what went wrong.

So I came to your site to get a better recipe. I hope these turne out better for me!

Bob said...

Gwen: Oh man, that sucks! Try these, I'll put my reputation (ha!) on the line for them. ;)

Anonymous said...

My husband mentioned he wanted chocolate chip cookies tonight and my mind immediately flashed to these, we just finished them up and they are AWESOME! They're different than a lot of cookies we've made in the past in that they're thick, love it!

Bob said...

Monica: I'm glad you liked them! They do come out pretty thick, I love that about them. :)

Gabriel said...

looks delicious!
do you think some could be frozen?

Bob said...

g: Thanks! I don't see why they couldn't be frozen, but you might want to freeze the dough raw instead of baked. I've never tried either way though, so I don't know which would be better.

Anonymous said...

Great cookies! I am a big Test Kitchen fan myself.

Bob said...

Sara: Thanks! ATK is the bomb. :)

Anonymous said...

My mom and I just stirred up these cookies and they remind us a lot of a Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownie recipe that she's been making since 1964. Like your girlfriend, it has been hard to keep both of us out of the dough!

First batch out of the oven and I have to say I am a HUGE fan. My dad and mom concur. I think I've finally found my favorite kind of homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

Thank you so much for your recipe!

Paige and Gail

Bob said...

Paige and Gail: You're welcome! I'm psyched that you like them. :)

Katie Barlow said...

found this recipe on tastespotting. Love the step by step directions. My cookies are in the oven now! They smell so good!

Anonymous said...

First batch just came out of the oven - YUM! Family is raving about them. Seriously the best I've ever made [and I've been around the cookie block, recipe-wise].

So, thanks thanks thanks!

- kate

mikemelnboys said...

I just made these last night and they are the best I've made. They were picture perfect and chewy like I love them. We gobbled them up. I used 1 cup choc. chips and 1/2 cup M&M's (kids love them)and they were delicious. Thank you. This will be my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Yesica N. Cook said...

Made them on the weekend and even though I did everything wrong they still came out fantastic! A great recipe, thanks!

Bob said...

I'm so glad you guys all tried them and came back to tell me they were good! That makes needing to pick the flour and butter out of the seams in my camera worth it. :)

Anonymous said...

kate again -

Looking back at my cooking log, I changed the 1 large egg/1 yolk to 2 medium eggs, and baked on a well-greased cookie sheet for 12 mins - no parchment paper lying around, plus, I'll confess, it seems a little silly for cookies - just not the way I'm used to it, haha.

and they turned out great! like mikemelnboys, this is now my go-to: have made them 2 more times [we're not obsessed, there was a bake sale :] and still lovin' em! :)

Anonymous said...

I made these over the weekend and they are by far the best cookies I've ever tasted! Thanks for posting the recipe.

Callie said...

I found these cookies for the first time right after they were posted. It was actually a hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie that led me here. I agree though. They are the best. Thank you for the post. I hope you don't mind, but I am going to link your page to my blog and use this recipe. it's too good not to share. If you'd rather me not post it, let me know. I'll take it off. I agree that there shouldn't be any secret recipes, and this one is too good not to share. You're recipes are inspiring. Thanks for it all!

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