My Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are a classic for a reason – you can’t go wrong with a cookie that combines buttery dough, notes of caramel and a liberal studding of chocolate chips (or chunks, disks or wafers). For many people, chocolate chip cookies evoke memories of childhood and comfort, the ultimate nostalgic treat. As a result, I think you would be hard pressed to find a baker that does not have at least one chocolate chip cookie recipe in their repertoire. While this recipe might require a few more steps than other recipes out there, I think the quality of the result speaks for itself.

The browned butter enhances the caramel notes and creates greater depth of flavor. Using chopped chocolate provides a variety of sizes and shapes for the chocolate chips from small flakes that nearly melt into the dough to larger chunks that form delicious pools of chocolate in the final cookie. The protein content in the bread flour helps provide structure giving the cookies a nice chew in the center. Resting the dough overnight allows the flour to fully hydrate and the flavors to more fully develop while also reducing the spread of the cookies. Making chocolate chip cookies without these elements won’t result in a bad cookie, but making chocolate chip cookies WITH these elements will result in a great cookie!

My Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe combines what I consider to be the best from the Cooks Illustrated and the Jacques Torres recipes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate chip, classic, cookie

Servings: 24 cookie

Ingredients

• 1 cup bread flour or all purpose
• ¾ cup cake flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 14 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg large
• 1 egg yolk large
• 12 ounce dark chocolate coarsely chopped (62 percent cacao or higher)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Whisk both flours, baking powder and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
  1 cup bread flour, 3/4 cup cake flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Heat 10 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
  14 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to pan with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.
  1/2 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk
• Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chopped chocolate giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
  12 ounce dark chocolate
• Press plastic wrap against dough and rest in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
• When ready to bake adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Scoop the dough onto the prepared pans using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake until golden brown but still soft, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.