Chocolate Chip Cookies
If there’s anything I’ve learned about chocolate chip cookies in the decades I’ve spent eating, baking, sharing, and researching them, it’s this: chocolate chip cookie tastes are deeply personal. Some want them crispy, some (usually children) prefer them raw, some like them chewy, and on and on.
This vast array of chocolate chip cookie preferences might be one reason why the internet is teaming with recipes. I just typed “chocolate chip cookies” in the Allrecipes search engine and there were 8,434 (!) results. Another reason for all the recipes? Baking chocolate chip cookies at home is an American tradition. It’s probably the treat we bake at home most often. And, according to Stella Parks’ research, Americans were baking chocolate drop cookies decades before the legendary Tollhouse recipe came on the scene in 1938.
This is all to say that my ideal chocolate chip cookie may not be your ideal chocolate chip cookie. I am not the authority on chocolate chip cookies, and neither are you. And that’s OK.
Another thing I must mention: This recipe not my fresh take on the chocolate chip cookie. There are no mix-ins, and no spins. This is just a solid chocolate chip cookie recipe.
OK, before you commit to trying my ideal cookie, let’s get specific what I’m looking for in a chocolate chip cookie. Texture wise, I want a slightly crisp, chewy edge and a soft middle. On the flavor front, I want rich, caramelly, nutty, and well-seasoned dough.
At the risk of losing all cookie credibility, I feel I must confess what might be my most controversial culinary preference: I don’t like chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. I don’t think they taste bad when warm and gooey, I just prefer them when the chocolate has set. (Lucky for us, this preference has no bearing on the following recipe.)
Since we’re here, I’d also like to address some chocolate chip cookie trends that have emerged in recent years. I’ve tried them all, so I can share what cookie trends I’ve incorporated into my cookie baking practice and what I’ve left behind. Again, I’m not here to argue, just weigh in.
If you’ve found your cookie truth, who am I to deny you?
#thecookies
Alison Roman’s salted chocolate chunk shortbread cookies are delicious. You should make them (if you haven’t already). But they’re a shortbread slice-and-bake, not a chocolate chip drop cookie. It’s a different genre.
Alison Roman’s cookies, found in her book Dining In or many places on the Internet.
Overnight rest
A lot of people insist on resting the dough in the fridge overnight (or longer). They claim that this allows the butter and eggs to further hydrate the flour, resulting in a chewier, more complex, and caramel-ier cookie. I have tried it, and I can’t tell a difference in flavor. And I’m not adverse to adding time as an ingredient if it means more complex flavs! (Hello, naturally leavened breads.) I'm not denying that this hydration process is occurring in the fridge overnight, I’m just saying that I can’t taste it. Instead, I’ve found that I get a bigger chew/caramel flavor boost from adding more brown sugar and vanilla extract than cookie recipes typically call for.
That said, a cold rest does impact the shape and texture of the final product. In the fridge, the fat re-solidifies, resulting in less spreading. (This step is super important in a lot of cookie recipes, like slice-and-bakes, thumb prints, peanut butter kisses, etc.). When I’ve let this particular chocolate chip cookie dough rest in the fridge, I’ve gotten crispier edge and a doughier middle. For me, this threw off the texture sweet-spot that I’d already achieved with the dough. If a more dramatic edge/middle contrast is something you’re after, try it out!
Pan banging
A couple years ago, blogger, cookbook author, and all-around cookie queen Sarah Kieffer got everyone to start banging their cookie pan multiple times during baking to achieve thin, crispy cookie with crinkly rings. It was innovative and worthy of hype, but I prefer a soft and chewy texture. I do like a little crinkling, and I think my cookie has just the right amount. I pull mine from the oven when they’ve puffed up all the way through the middle, but are still a tiny bit under-baked underneath the surface. This results in a slight collapse when cooling and yes, a little crinkle. (See the image below.)
Salt garnish
Into it. The flakier, the more it’ll pop (as opposed to melting into the cookie).
Before I get to the recipe, a couple final notes.
Regarding cookie size: I go through phases, but lately I’ve been making these cookies BIG. It’s just fun to have a big cookie. I’ve used this recipe to make smaller cookies and achieve the same taste and texture. If you prefer smaller cookies, just pull back the bake time a couple minutes. Look out for the same signs that I detail below, just check on them a bit earlier.
Finally, a word on measuring. Like a lot of baking projects, it can be a challenge to perfectly replicate a cookie using a recipe. Oven temperatures and temperaments vary, as do ingredients and baking pans. That said, one way to get closer is to measure your ingredients by weight instead of volume. It’s more accurate, and it’s also easier (less dishes to wash!). A digital scale is a great investment for a home baker (I love this one), but if you’re just stopping by to bake an occasional cookie, I understand. I added volume measurements and instructions just for you.
OK, here we go!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 20 BIG cookies (I usually cut this recipe in half)
420 g (3 cups, scooped onto your measuring cup and leveled with a butter knife) flour*
1 t fine sea salt**
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
8oz (1 cup, two sticks) salted butter, room temperature***
360g (2 packed cup) brown sugar
80g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature***
1 T vanilla
1 lb chocolate****
Flaky salt, for sprinkling
*Feel free to incorporate up to half whole wheat flour with this recipe- for this particular batch I used 140g fresh milled spelt and 280g all-purpose.
**like seasoning any dish, though, salting to taste is best. If you use unsalted butter, keep in mind that it’s roughly ¼ t salt per stick. I usually use salted because it’s what I have on hand. (It keeps better and I butter a lot of toast.)
***Room temperature is important in recreating this particular cookie. When the butter is room temperature, the sugar aerates it with ease during the creaming step, creating a more tender crumb. A room temperature egg incorporates into the dough more evenly than a cold egg, making a more uniformly textured cookie. Set the stuff out at least an hour before mixing. If you forget, dice the butter into small pieces so they soften more quickly. (Don’t mess with the microwave, here. Just wait.) For the egg, drop it in a glass of hot water to speed things up.
****I prefer semi-sweet chocolate, but use what you like. As far as shapes go, I love the disks when I can find them.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper.*
Whisk dry ingredient together.
Cream butter in the bowl of a standing mixer to loosen it up. Next, add the sugars and cream at medium speed until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula once during mixing, and again after.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Scrape again.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated.
Dump in the chocolate and mix on low speed until evenly distributed.
Form into balls that are about 80g (¼ cup). Place on cookie sheet, giving them lots of room to spread. 6 fit really comfortably on one sheet.*
Give each cookie a pinch of flaky salt.
Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan after 5 and keeping a close watch around 7. When they’re ready to come out, they are beginning to brown around the edges, no longer shiny, and puffed up in the middle. Timing can vary with the oven- sometimes when working with a new recipe, I do bake a test cookie first before committing to a timing plan.
Cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooking rack.
*If you don’t have enough baking sheets, don’t stress. After baking, wait until the cookie sheet is cool enough to handle. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, set the parchment paper aside, and run the cookie sheet under cool water. Dry it off, and top it again with the parchment and more cookie dough.
Make ahead: To freeze, shape the cookies into balls and place on a baking sheet. Freeze uncovered for about an hour, or until the dough balls are solid. Bake directly from frozen as directed above, but for about 15-17 minutes (as opposed to 10). Watch for the same signs as described above.
Above you’ll see the same sheet of cookies at three different stages- raw, JUST out of the oven, and after a few minutes resting on the pan. Notice how the just-out cookies are puffed up, and then they collapse a bit when set.
