she is going to want a dozen more...as long as you make them from THIS recipe!
After years of trying Chocolate Chip cookie recipe after Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I finally stumbled on the ultimate cookie. The Holy Grail of Chocolate Chip Cookies, if you would. Now, many of you are going to read through this recipe and think "Cake flour AND bread flour? Coarse salt? THREE different kind of chocolate? Let the dough sit for 24 hours? I don't think so." But believe me, it is SO worth it, and my family agrees wholeheartedly!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (modified slightly from recipe posted in the New York Times)
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 2/3 cup bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt (kosher is fine)
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into chunks (or buy the bagged chunks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, grated
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
sea salt (if desired)
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Stir all chocolate into dough using a wooden spoon. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Drop dough by tablespoon full (or cookie scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt (if desired) and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookie sheet to a wire rack for 3-4 minutes then remove cookies to another rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough for baking later.
Notes:
Yes, it is hard to wait 24 hours for cookies if you want them NOW. I have to say that I don't always wait that long...they are still really good after being refrigerated for a couple of hours...and they are still really good going straight into the oven after mixing. But they really are best when allowed to chill! (I tell you this so you don't worry about it if you go ahead and throw them in the oven...they will still be the best cookies EVER!!)
The original recipe called for using 3.5 ounces of dough per cookie and only doing about 6 per cookie sheet. This was just too much for my taste, but feel free to do it that way if you prefer, adding a few minutes to the baking time.
This recipe also freezes well. Using a cookie scoop, I form each "cookie" into a ball and put on a cookie sheet covered with a baking mat and freeze. Once the balls are set, put in a freezer bag and throw in the freezer. When you want to bake them, just preheat the oven to 350 and add about 2 minutes per cookie, keeping an eye on them to make sure they don't over cook.
