Chocolate Chip Cookies
Confession: I’m not a big fan of chocolate chip cookies, or any cookies for that matter. I don’t mind them, but they’re not my preferred dessert. However, my family loves them, and demands them on a regular basis. Over the years, I’ve honed a recipe, tweaking based on feedback from these cookie lovers. I have hit upon a reliable, well-loved recipe that routinely receives raves. If you prefer thin, crispy, buttery cookies, then these are not for you. These are also not the massive Levain-style mammoths that could replace an entire meal. These have a hint of crust along the edge that gives way to a soft interior. For variety, you could substitute chopped chocolate chunks for the chips or M&M’s.
I originally made half this amount, but they disappear quickly and the dough balls freeze so well, it’s worth going for the full amount.
Ingredients
350 g bread flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
224 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200 g light brown sugar
100 g sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
250 g chocolate chips
Directions
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars at medium speed for a few minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until homogenous.
Add the flour mixture and mix at low speed until almost no dry flour remains.
Add in the chocolate chips and mix at low speed until the chips are distributed.
Transfer the dough to bowl or container, cover, and store in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
Scoop out the cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. When I use I use a size 40 cookie scoop, I can fit 11-12 cookies per sheet. For a larger scoop (size 24), I reduce this to 8.
For best results, chill the dough on the cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes prior to baking.
Bake until the bottom edge is just starting to brown, rotating the sheet pan halfway through. The cookies will appear to be underbaked, but will continue cooking on the sheet. This takes about 9-10 minutes for a size 40 scoop and 13 minutes for a size 24.
Cooking times may vary depending on your scoop size,, your oven’s temperature, and your preferences.
Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
The scooped cookie dough can be frozen on a parchment-lined baking sheet and then transferred to a Ziplock freezer bag when frozen solid. The cookies can be baked from frozen, but you may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.
Update 11-Jun-2023: Reduced the amount of sugar to 100 g from 120. Added details about cooking time depending on scoop size.
