Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?

Does anyone know of a good chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe? I'm planning to make a batch for my coworkers but I can't seem to find a good recipe to use yet..

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:
Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
Parchment paper
Baking sheets
Mixer


Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Chocolate chp cookie afficinados might cringe at this, but if you want a yummy, chewy cookie, take your average oatmeal cookie recipe, halve the amount of cinnamon called for, and throw in some chocolate chips.
The oatmeal gives them a nice texture and flavor.

If you're feeling more adventerous, toast some coconut and throw that in as well. I love chocolate chip cookies with coconut!

Mr. Chris -

How long do you chill your dough? Why does the butter need to be melted?

I used to love baking chocolate chip cookies, but in the last year or so I have not had very successful batches. My dough seems to spread too much. I am thinking there must be something wrong w/my oven perhaps getting too hot in certain spots. I read up on some articles online that suggested using cold butter and keeping the dough chilled at all times, adding more flour, or taking out some chocolate chips (gasp!). Any advice or insight or feedback from your recipe?

Alton Brown did an episode of "Good Eats" titled, "Three Chips for Sister Marsha" where he did three different chocolate chip cookie recipes: thin, puffy, and chewy. It was a great episode that really got into the details of what makes the cookies take on different characteristics. I like the "thin" recipe, but they all work great.

Full transcript and links to recipes can be found here:

http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season3/EA1C05.htm

(In fact, Mr. Chris' recipe above appears to be a reprint of Alton's).

Pucca wrote:How long do you chill your dough? Why does the butter need to be melted?

I chill the batter for at least an hour, maybe two.

The state of butter is one of the most important things affecting texture in cookie baking. Regarding melted butter and these cookies, again from Brown:

"The water from the melted butter will combine during agitation with the higher protein of the bread flour therefore producing gluten ... which is chewy. Also, since bread flour can absorb much more liquid than all purpose flour, more moisture will stay in the cookie."

The best recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies was given to me by my sister-in-law's sister-in-law (how's that for alliteration?) and is from Cook's Illustrated February 1996:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, just melted, not hot
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg and one egg yolk
2 tsps vanilla extract
12 ounces chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Using electric mixer, mix butter and both sugars until light, fluffy and creamy (about 7 minutes). Meanwhile, combine flour, salt and baking soda in separate bowl, set aside. Add egg, yolk and vanilla to butter mixture, beating one minute. Add flour
mixture, beating just until combined. Stir chocolate chips into cookie batter.

Form dough into large balls, approximately 1/2 the size of a golfball (or use a large cookie scoop). Space balls evenly on ungreased dark cookie sheet (not air cushioned). Bake until just barely golden brown around edges, approximately 10 - 11 minutes. Remove to cool on the cookie sheets for 5 additional minutes before moving to rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Apple wrote:Form dough into large balls, approximately 1/2 the size of a golfball (or use a large cookie scoop). Space balls evenly on ungreased dark cookie sheet (not air cushioned).

One cooks illustrated trick that works especially well is to form the cookies into balls, tear them in half, and push them back together so the torn halves form the top of the new shape.

this gives the top of the cookies a somewhat random form, and it really does improve the mouthfeel quite a lot. Much better than smooth tops.

-ed

gleam wrote:this gives the top of the cookies a somewhat random form, and it really does improve the mouthfeel quite a lot. Much better than smooth tops.

Ed, what an interesting concept. An inconsistent mouthfeel is more interesting than a consistent mouthfeel. If I might be allowed me to over-intellectualize and apply information theory here, a less consistent or predictable "message" (or taste) is more "informative" (or tasty).

Hammond

Thanks for the Cook's Illustrated recipe. I just made the cookies and they turned out great: nice and big with a slightly crisp outer edge and chewy inside. Because the butter's already melted and there's so much brown sugar in the recipe they don't spread too much and stay pretty tall. I did do the "break dough ball in half and put back together with uneven side up" thing. Probably accounts for the nice chunky look the cookies have.
Per a Cook's Illustrated hint, I put a piece of bread in the storage container with them because that's supposed to help keep the cookies from drying out. Hope it works, 'coz they're pretty perfect right now. Thanks again. And thanks to LAZ for the recipe index.

Mr Chris posted Alton Brown's recipe for "The Chewy" from Foodtv.com

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_13617,00.html

It would have been nicer to post a link rather than the recipe. Proper credit, person can read the reviews on foodtv.com.

Thanks eatchicago for pointing out the good eats fan page. Not quite as nice as having the episode you want to try on DVD or VHS, but great to be able to read the transcript.

By the way, consider using DARK BROWN SUGAR in whatever recipe you try. I've gotten big compliments on the basic tollhouse recipe before, and I believe the trick is good dark brown sugar, gives the cookie part more flavor.

Nancy

I agree wholeheartedly that dark brown sugar is absolutely the right choice. Cookies made with light brown aren't as chewy and have a more sugary-sweet flavor. The extra molasses really helps.

We use the cooks illustrated recipe with a few quantity variations (mostly because we converted volume measurements to weight).

I'm looking for a local place (near north Chicago) that sells various sizes of stainless steel dishers to scoop cookie dough. I'm not seeing them online at either Crate and Barrel or Sur la Table. Anyone seen them there in person, or have other locations where I might buy them?

Food Nut wrote:I'm looking for a local place (near north Chicago) that sells various sizes of stainless steel dishers to scoop cookie dough. I'm not seeing them online at either Crate and Barrel or Sur la Table. Anyone seen them there in person, or have other locations where I might buy them?

I am 99% sure that Sur La Table has them. I believe I saw them at the North and Clybourn store. I also know that Northwestern Cutlery on Halsted and Lake carries them. I would recommend going there over Sur La Table. If not for the better prices, then for the experience.

Northwestern Cutlery
810 W. Lake
Chicago, IL

Happy Shopping, and eventually Baking

I have tried a couple of late and have just ended up with flat, crispy cookies when I am looking for thick and chewy. I have tried refrigerating the dough overnight but still--not the right result. Any tried an true recipes or techniques out there?

My go to recipe is from the NY Times. I make them larger than golf ball sized, which is smaller than what the recipe calls for, but they are always a success.

nancy wrote:I have tried a couple of late and have just ended up with flat, crispy cookies when I am looking for thick and chewy. I have tried refrigerating the dough overnight but still--not the right result. Any tried an true recipes or techniques out there?

My wife uses a very slightly modified version of Cooks' Illustrated's thick and chewy recipe and they results are fantastic.. truly addictive cookies. Here's the original

2 1/8 cups bleached all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled slightly
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark), 7 ounces
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - 2 cups chocolate chips or chunks (semi or bittersweet)

Instructions: mix dry, mix wet, add dry to wet, stir in chips, bake at 325 on parchment. When you make the cookies (you should get about 18 from this recipe), form the dough into a bull and then pull it apart and push it back together so the jagged edges (where it tore) are up. This gives the tops of the cookies a very nice texture. They'll take maybe 15-18 minutes to bake.

her changes:

substitute bread flour for half of the AP flour
cut the brown sugar to 4.5-5oz by weight instead of 7oz, and only use dark brown sugar
use frozen chocolate chips so they hold their shape better during baking

Wow!

I'd been meaning to try CI's Chocolate Chip Cookie featured in the magazine in 2009. I made it for tomorrow's Dessert Exchange.

It is divine.

The butter is browned and oh my goodness, how does such a small change to the basic recipe become a complete game changer?

Already planning to make this dough again for a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream once it get's hot.

Yep, I'm one of those who almost prefers dough/batter for cookies & cakes to the finished product.

Nancy S wrote:By the way, consider using DARK BROWN SUGAR in whatever recipe you try. I've gotten big compliments on the basic tollhouse recipe before, and I believe the trick is good dark brown sugar, gives the cookie part more flavor.

Nancy

Don't forget to play with vanilla. You'd be amazed at how Tahitian vanilla changes the flavor of chocolate chip cookies. And you get a different texture if you use higher fat content butter.

I swear by the CI recipe but tweak the type of ingredients to get different results.

I usually add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of chocolate extract that I get at the Spice House to my cookies. I think it gives the cookies (well, really the raw dough because that's my favorite thing) a richer taste.