I love chocolate chip cookies, they are probably my favorite cookie!
I spent years trying to make the perfect cookie, failing miserably over and over again. They were either too crispy, or too puffy and cake like. I tried recipe after recipe, never finding the right one.
Finally, after reading a couple of articles in various food magazines, this was way before the internet, OMG! I know….., I figured out the problem.
I’ll share with you how I make cookies, not saying this is the only way to make them, but it works for me and I ain’t messing with perfection! 😉
First and foremost, I learned to only use butter for the fat. No oils, margarine or shortening. And by butter, I mean real butter! I have had some sucess with margarine, but you really have to be careful which ones you use. Butter is fail proof, and better anyhow in my book.
Second tip is to keep everything cold, straight from the refrigerator cold. I even put the dough into the fridge before I start baking to make sure it is chilled, and I return it to the refrigerator in between cooking batches. Keep it cold! 😉
As for the rest of the ingredients, use quality ones. Pure vanilla, name brand chocolate chips, etc.
I use several cookie sheets so I can rotate the hot ones for room temperature ones. I also highly recommend using silicon baking mats, no nonstick sheets or cooking spray. I use aluminum half sheet or jelly roll pan. They are inexpensive, durable, and work great for all your baking needs.
Then, I played around with the sugars till I got the right combination to give me the soft cookie I was after. I suggest you try the same, make 1/4 cup adjustments between batches till you get the right mix. More brown sugar will give you a softer cookie, more granulated sugar gives you a crisper cookie. Just add more of one sugar, and subtract the same amount from the other type.
When it comes time to cook them, I use a scoop to measure them out. This way you’ll get consistent size cookies, so you’ll get consistent results. It makes cooking time adjustments very predictable. They should be just starting to brown, very slightly, and look puffy. Pull them out of the oven then, as the cool they will settle down and be flat.
Finally, let the cookies cool for a few minute on the sheets, then move them to a cooling rack.
You can play around with the chocolate chips too, to get the flavor your looking for. I prefer semi sweet, but my partner loves milk chocolate. 🙂
I will also do a dark chocolate chip with Hazel nuts, yum! 😀
That’s about it, you’ll be baking awesome cookies in no time!
Be sure to comment and let me know how yours turn out!
*Don’t forget to click the Yum button! 😀
Ingredients
- 1-1/3 cups unsalted butter, cold
- 1-3/4 cups packed light brown-sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 3-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1-1/4 tsp. table salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F.
- Using a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, working your way up to high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl and beater. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on low until blended, then beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 min. Scrape the bowl and beater.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add this to the butter mixture and set speed to stir until just blended; the dough will be stiff. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a scoop, drop the dough onto a silicon lined baking sheet. Refrigerate any unused dough. Bake until the bottoms are golden brown, approximately 12 minutes. Remove the sheets from the oven, let sit for 3 to 5 min., and then transfer the cookies with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely. Let the baking sheets cool completely before baking the remaining dough.
Thanks for giving me my new “go-to” chocolate chip cookie recipe! I didn’t make any changes to the recipe and they turned out great! I think my oven calibration is off some because I had to reduce the baking time quite a bit. Thanks again and I’ll be sure to check out the other recipes on your blog!
Pete,
Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed the cookies. As for cooking times, that is a good point, ovens vary some, and the size of cookie will affect times also. I know when I pull them out of the oven, they look under done, but finish cooking while the rest on the cookie sheet.
Thanks again, and happy cooking!