Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m sorry about this. If anyone is on a diet, this is a good time to stop reading this post. Check back in a few days and maybe I will have posted a nice healthy salad. Not likely, but you never know. 🙂
But back to the cookies. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to find the ultimate thick and chewy chocolate chip cookie, and dare I say this may be it? Bold words, I know, but that is how good these cookies are. They are perfect for summer potlucks, gifts to friends, or just to keep around the house for family and unexpected guests. (From my experience, that last option may be dangerous).
If you’re looking for big chewy bakery style cookies, look no further. These cookies look beautiful, taste rich and buttery, and have a great chocolate chunk to cookie ratio. As I look at the pictures and write this post, I’ve made a spur of the moment decision to make another batch. I think my husband will be pleased. This is my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I predict it will become yours.
*These cookies are best served the day they are made, but can be frozen for longer storage
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp (10 5/8 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 oz) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
~1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (I prefer chocolate chunks!)
Directions:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chunks to taste.
Roll a scant 1/4 cup of dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. This will give the cookies a bakery-like appearance. Place the the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15-18 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets to retain their chewy texture.
from Baking Illustrated