I need another cookie. You?
Over the weekend, Ella and I made cookies, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, the ones that still happen to be my favorite, chocolate chip or otherwise, a decade after first making them. I’ve posted this Fine Cooking recipe before, twice actually, but in each post it has been buried beneath another recipe, and I thought it was time to give it its own space.
Also, snow. You might be holed up. Cookies might help. I can’t think of a better way to pass the time. Stay warm, Everyone.
A few thoughts/notes for perfect soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies every time:
1. A scale is best for accurate measuring. Butter should be at room temperature.
2. Chocolate: Over the years I have made these cookies with crappy chocolate chips, crappy chocolate chunks, high-quality chocolate bars roughly chopped, and chocolate pistoles. The cookies have never failed to please no matter the chocolate morsel, but, in my old age, I do have two preferences:
• Most recently I discovered chocolate pistoles (Guayaquil Pistoles Ecuadorian Cacao, 64% cacao, photo above) at the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany. The flavor of the chocolate is great, and I love having big chunks of chocolate in my cookies that are distinct from the soft and chewy dough. • Before I discovered these pistoles, however, I was chopping up bars of Scharffen Berger 62% cacao, which creates the effect of chocolate melting throughout the cookie along with some nice chunks. Both chocolates/methods are delicious, it’s just a matter of preference.3. For this recipe, portion the dough into 1.75 oz (48 g) balls, also using your scale. So anal, I know, but the cookies bake evenly every time.
4. Chill the dough balls. The cookies taste even better when baked from dough balls that have been chilled. Keep unbaked balls in an airtight container in the fridge — they’ll last for weeks there. Bake off as you need.
5. Bake cookies of this size for exactly 11 minutes at 375ºF. Remove tray from oven and let cookies cook completely on cookie sheet. They will not look done when you pull them out of the oven. Have faith. Again, do not remove cookies from sheetpans until they are completely cool. I think these cookies taste best once they are completely cool.
Print Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: Fine Cooking 2003 | Yield = 35
Notes: This recipe halves beautifully, too. When I make a half batch, I use two teaspoons of vanilla, and I use a scant teaspoon of kosher salt.
See other notes above re measuring/baking.
Ingredients
Instructions