My Absolute Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
When I was in high school, I started baking chocolate chip cookies. I began like most do... with the recipe on the Nestle Toll House bag.
No disrespect to Phoebe's grandmother, I started tinkering. I changed the sugar ratio, added more salt (always), more vanilla (almost always), and SEVEN YEARS LATER landed on my favorite recipe. I've never found another that makes me happier.
The Pros
They're buttery and crisp on the edges with a barely gooey center.
They look beautiful.
They taste like heaven.
The dough tastes magical from the freezer.
The Cons
They're more work than a regular chocolate chip cookie.
The texture doesn't hold up as long because of the bread flour. (If you need them to have a longer shelf life, skip the bread flour and use the same amount of all-purpose.)
You have to chill them for a couple of days. Not hours, days.
You'll eat seven before you realize you're going to be sick.
These might not seem very lazy, but they are definitely genius. I don't always use this recipe because it requires a lot of planning (yay!) and waiting (nope), but I don't mind being lazy about other stuff in order to be a genius about these cookies.
The Recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bread flour (again, just use all-purpose... the bread flour gives the cookies a little extra chewiness)
1 tsp. cornstarch (a tenderizer)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter (1/2 of one of these sticks will be browned)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
INSTRUCTIONS
Brown 4 tbsp. (or half a stick) of butter. Oh, wait... you didn't know we were doing that? We are. I'd tell you how here, but The Kitchn once again does the best job of explaining it with extremely helpful photos. Pop it in the fridge while you gather the other ingredients. Don't start mixing the dough until the browned butter is slightly cool. You’re still using only two total sticks (or one cup) of butter, but half of one of those sticks get special treatment.
Sift together the dry ingredients. With a sifter or a mesh sieve, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or a paper towel. Sifting into a separate bowl means I have to wash a separate bowl, and I give a big ol' hard no to that.
Cream together the butter and sugars. Do this for two minutes until fluffy. To achieve the right texture and optimal cookie texture, the butter should be at room temperature, i.e. out on the counter for half an hour before mixing.
Add two eggs and one yolk one at a time, mixing on medium-low speed. Don't add the next egg until the last one has fully disappeared.
Add the vanilla and cooled (but still mostly melted) browned butter. Make sure it's fully incorporated.
Add dry ingredients. Use low speed, and add gradually. You'll avoid a flour shower, and the dough will come together better. Stop mixing when there are just a few streaks of flour left.
Add the chocolate chips. As you stir them in, the remaining flour will incorporate into the dough. When the flour disappears, stop mixing. More mixing means tough cookies, and we don't want that.
Scoop and chill the dough. Use a cookie scoop (my beloved) or two spoons, and portion out 1-2 tbsp-sized cookie dough balls onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. The cookies can tough each other; they're just going to chill. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 24-72 hours. I usually do 48; two days gives better flavor than one and is more difficult to forget about than three. (I've forgotten about 72 hour dough so many times.)
Bake. When you're ready for cookies, preheat the oven to 375. Spread the dough balls on a parchment-lined sheet pan (no mess!) a couple of inches apart from each other. Bake 9-11 minutes depending on your oven and the size of the dough. You're looking for crispy brown edges and a barely-cooked center. If it looks doughy, you're close. If it looks done, you've gone too far. You want to juuuuuust barely get past the center being raw dough. As the cookies cool, they set up beautiful with the most perfect texture.
You're welcome.
P.S. This week's podcast episode is all about cookies and super awesome. Check it out... The Lazy Genius Bakes Cookies.
