If there is a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, this one may be it. It comes from America’s Test Kitchen so you know it’s going to be delicious and the recipe isn’t as fussy as many of the other “best” chocolate chip cookie recipes. You don’t have to use a mixer, worry about softening your butter, or refrigerate the dough for two days before baking.
This is a chewy chocolate chip cookie with crispy edges. It’s not doughy or undercooked like a Mrs. Fields cookie because you let the cookies cool completely on the cookie tray. It has a richer flavor because you brown the butter before adding the other ingredients. My daughter loved them and asked if I added caramel to the cookies.
Last week I stopped by the delicious Sugar and Spice and All Things Iced. BreAna’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies looked irresistible and I thought they would be the perfect addition to my 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies. The recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated and BreAna posted links to several other bloggers who also loved this cookie, as well as a link to a nice video of the America’s Test Kitchen episode at Serious Eats.
My daughter wasn’t the only one who loved these cookies. We all devoured them. I made a few changes to accommodate my high altitude (about 4,000 feet). My adapted recipe is below. Let me know if you try them and think they’re perfect too!
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon 9 ounces all-purpose flour
- ⅜ teaspoon baking soda in other words ½ teaspoon minus ⅛ teaspoon
- 14 tablespoons 1 ¾ sticks unsalted butter
- ½ cup minus 2 tablespoon 3 ounces granulated sugar
- ¾ cup 5.2 ounces packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 11/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
- ¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts toasted (optional)(I omitted)
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375º. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring pan constantly until butter is golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and pour browned butter in to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny.
- Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
- Use a #40 cookie scoop, or about 1 ½ tablespoons dough, drop dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 8-12 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on the tray for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Fairy Hobmother Giveaway:
I was recently visited by The Fairy Hobmother, Ian from Appliances Online. (They are currently promoting the Bosch Logixx range of appliances.) The Fairy Hobmother brought me a $50 Amazon gift certificate and he can bring you one too!
Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to be visited by the Fairy Hobmother. He found me when I commented on my sweet blogging friend and fabulous cook Megan’s Cookin’s Caprese Quinoa Salad post. Thanks Megan and Ian!
Be sure and check out all of the fabulous cookies the other 12 weeks of Christmas Cookies (and sweets) bakers baked up for this week.
Fran@fransfavs.com
I just discovered your blog today and am having fun browsing! You should see a little bump in your impressions tonight. 🙂 I, too, posted these wonderfully perfect chocolate chip cookies–they are making the blog rounds for good reason. As I noted in my posting, this cookie may just the “the one.”
http://www.fransfavs.com/2011/10/perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies/#more-1945
Sue
Your cookie photo collage has convinced me to try this recipe! Oh my!
Libby
Cool cookies completely on the rack? Are you serious here? You haven’t been to my house LOL. These sound great and I will have to try them. I haven’t had a storebought choco chip cookie in ages because I just don’t like them anymore, no matter what the brand.
I see you are gearing for Christmas – I’ll be lucky if I get a pumpkin carved this year 😉 Take care.
Barbara
Hi Libby – that’s the same thing I thought when I read the recipe. lol Not eating a hot cookie is almost impossible at my house too. You are so right, homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies are infinitely better than anything you can buy, no matter the recipe. Enjoy!
betty
I would really like to take one of those cookies and dip it in milk <3
Judy
These cookies are actually on my list to make. It’s not just the browned butter, it’s also the sitting and stirring of the batter that intrigues me. Guess they’re making their way through the blogosphere, as most ATK recipes do.
Sandi
My little family would love these. Always looking for chocolate chip perfect-ness. Altitude of 4000 feet, are you in Colorado?