The BEST chocolate chip cookies

Back in July 2008, a recipe for chocolate chip cookies was featured in the New York Times.  Talk of those cookies went viral across the food blog world and it seemed like every site I read had the recipe and some kind of cookie story attached to it. I remember seeing that recipe and pictures of those cookies and thinking that they’d most definitely be on my list of recipes to try. 

Well, two years later, when I finally got around to making these (that’s got to be a procrastination record, there), I knew they were going to be special, right from the beginning of the process.  I made sure to buy all of the ingredients a few days before I wanted to bake so that I could prepare the batter and throw it in the fridge for as long as possible, which the recipe recommends you do.

The result was FABULOUS.  Rarely do cookies come out of home ovens looking and tasting the way these did.  And I don’t credit myself, that’s for sure.  I attribute the amount of time the dough spent in the fridge to the way they rose and the sea salt sprinkled on top to the palate zinging flavor and roundness that cookies don’t always have.

A few things: I did not use two types of flour.  All purpose was what I had, so all purpose was what I used.  My batter was in the refrigerator for about 40 hours before I used it.  I got the chocolate disks which this recipe calls for at Fairway, where I happened to get the rest of the ingredients.  If they weren’t available here, I would most definitely have used chocolate chips instead of taking the trip to another store.  Last thing- I don’t have a stand mixer, so I just used a wooden spoon, and everything still went fine.

If you can find the time to make these, you’ll be very happy you did.  These cookies are addicting, and TOO delicious to keep rambling about….

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

3 2/3 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks with at least 60 percent cacao content (I used Ghirardelli)
Sea salt

Directions:

First, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment or a wooden spoon (my kitchen aid-less method), cream the butter and sugars together for about 5 minutes, or until they're well blended and creamy.

Then, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after you add each one. Stir in the vanilla. At this point, add the dry mixture a small bit at a time (if you're using a mixer, lower the speed so to avoid a flour storm), and mix until JUST combined, no longer.

Mix in the chocolate pieces by hand, trying not to break them. Once everything is added and ready to go, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Once you're ready to bake the dough (if you haven't eaten it all raw by this point after stealing a bit each time you open the fridge during the duration of its stay there!), preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.

Scoop from 8-10 balls of dough onto the baking sheet (they should be a little bigger than golf balls, and make sure they have a good amount of distance between them. Then, sprinkle the top with sea salt and put in the oven, baking until they're golden, which will take about 18-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and, once they're stable enough to handle, let them cool on a wire rack.

Adapted from Jacques Torres via The New York Times