Cook's Illustrated The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie (made more perfect by me, Mark)
Recipe makes 16 cookies
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 1/ 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips - see Mark's Notes at the end).
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts toasted and chopped (optional)
Instructions:
1. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl, then set aside.
4. Melt 10 tablespoons butter in 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Continue cooking and swirling butter constantly until butter is dark golden brown with nutty aroma (1 to 3 minutes).
6. Transfer browned butter to large heatproof container.
7. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and stir until completely melted.
8. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to melted butter.
9. Whisk until fully incorporated.
10. Add egg and egg yolk.
11. Whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining - about 30 seconds.
12. Let sit for 3 minutes.
13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 two more times - (whisk for 30 seconds, sit for 3 minutes, whisk for 30 seconds, and sit for 3 minutes).
14. Mixture should now be thick, smooth, and shiny.
15. Using a rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture (from step 3) until just combined - about 1 minute.
16. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts)
17. Give dough final stir to ensure there are no flour pockets remaining and ingredients are evenly distributed.
18. Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and space them about two inches apart on prepared sheets.
19. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until golden brown, still puffy, and centers are soft - 10 to 14 minutes. Rotate sheet halfway through.
20. Let cookies sit on sheet for five minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
21. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
22. Enjoy!
Mark's Notes
1. I did not use brown sugar. I used all granulated sugar (Trish is allergic to molasses which is in brown sugar).
2. I used dark chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet chocolate chips.
3. I did not use the optional pecans or walnuts.
Mark's Story
This turned out to be an exercise in teamwork. I asked Abby if she wanted to help me and she said yes. Then Miriam said she wanted to help too and I told her yes as well. Then Abby tried to back out of it so she wouldn't have to be around the "annoying younger sister". I made both of them wash their hands and gave both different assignments for stirring and mixing. So, both kids helped out and the cookies were really really good.
The only mishap that I have to report on this recipe is that I spilled vanilla extract on my Cook's Illustrated magazine recipe. I go to clean it up and it took some of the ink with it - still readable though. So, now I have their wonderful recipe for Perfect Chocolate Chips posted here and I made it more perfect with the dark chocolate chips.
I highly recommend looking up the actual article "The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies" by Charles Kelsey to read about why this particular process he developed makes the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Kelsey, Charles. “The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie”
Cook's Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes
Kelsey, Charles. “The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie”
Cook's Illustrated Revolutionary Recipes
