Chocolate Chipper Champs
Every baker has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, one they always go back to no matter how many other chocolate chip cookie recipes they may take for a test spin. This Chocolate Chipper Champs recipe was exactly that for my mother. I’m not sure exactly when she started making this particular recipe, but I know that once she did, she never looked back – and why would she when this recipe resulted in the quintessential chocolate chip cookie with crisp edges, chewy center and plenty of chocolate chips.
Which is a bit of a funny thought considering that the original recipe contained exactly zero chocolate chips! M&M’s and chopped nuts were the mix-ins of choice as the recipe was first written. But my mom made a note that she “sometimes” used chocolate chips instead of M&Ms, more specifically 12 ounces of chocolate chips, which basically doubles the amount of M&M’s called for…
Perhaps when she first started making the recipe, she would only sometimes swap out the M&M’s for chocolate chips, but the chocolate chip variation soon became her official version. She didn’t make any notes on her recipe card regarding the chopped nuts, but two of her children and several of her grandchildren are not fond of nuts, so it was more typical for her to omit the nuts than to include them.
This recipe has a couple of oddities when compared to common chocolate chip cookie recipes that I want to take a moment to point out because they are key to the success of these cookies:
- First, the recipe calls for all brown sugar. Typically, chocolate chip cookie recipes have a mixture of brown and granulated sugar. However, this recipe results in a very soft dough, so soft that I truly expected that the cookies would spread all over the baking sheet. The fact that they did not, is thanks to exclusively using brown sugar. The brown sugar also helps keep the cookies soft and chewy. The real surprise is that the recipe somehow still achieves the crisp edges without any granulated sugar.
- Second is the preparation method. Usually, you start by creaming together the butter and sugar before adding the eggs and vanilla. This recipe has you immediately combine the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. I believe this change is directly responsible for the distinctive craggy, crackly top on these cookies and answers the question as to how the crisp edges are achieved. Mixing all of the wet ingredients together at once introduces more water molecules sooner and gives the sugar a chance to dissolve more fully before adding the dry ingredients, resulting in a crisp sugar crust on the exterior of the cookie.
When I was chatting with my family about the treats my mom made, her chocolate chip cookies were called out multiple times as favorites, especially by her grandchildren. It was never unusual for my mother to make an abundance of treats for holidays and other family gatherings, but, particularly on holidays, the treats would consist of pies, cakes, or cheesecakes, which obliged someone (usually mom) to serve slices to everyone who wanted them and required plates and forks in order to enjoy them. Mom knew that kids would rarely want to sit down with a dessert on a plate and consume it in a mannerly fashion with a fork so she always made sure that there were grab-and-go options for the kids at every family event and, I would say, nine times out of ten, that meant a batch of these cookies.
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oven to 350° F, lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two large baking sheets.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs until well blended. There should be no visible lumps or streaks of butter remaining.1 1/3 cup (297 g) brown sugar, 3/4 cup (168 g) butter, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla, 2 eggs
- Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Stir just until combined – the dough will be soft.2 1/4 cup (293 g) flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp (½ tsp) salt, 12 oz (340 g) chocolate chips
- Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons (or use a cookie scoop for more consistent size/shape cookies) about 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. If desired, press 3 to 4 more chocolate chips into each cookie before baking.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or until light brown.
- Cool slightly on the pan before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.
Notes
Private Notes
Nutrition
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I used to make these and found my recipe on the M&M bag. I’ve saved it all these years.
They are so yummy!
Back in the day, I used margarine.
planning to make them this week.
Mom always used margarine, I’ve just gotten in the habit of using butter over the years 🙂 Have fun making them and enjoy!