chocolate chip cookies
A friend recently pointed out that we somehow have no plain chocolate chip cookie recipe in the archive. Funny, considering there is one recipe I’ve used for 15+ years and probably make more than anything else here.
So, for the record: the chocolate chip cookie.
Why this one? It all comes together in a single glass bowl — no mixer, no extra dishes (bonus points if your bowl has a lid, because then the dough goes straight into the fridge). Melted butter means no waiting around for sticks to soften, and a heavy hand with the brown sugar gives these unbelievable chew and flavor. The lone egg yolk is the recipe’s only annoyance, but it’s non-negotiable for the perfect cookie. Save the egg white for granola — that recipe is forthcoming.
You can bake these right away, but we almost never do. Mix up a batch (often double or triple), stash it in the fridge, and bake a few at a time all week: cookies on demand, warm and gooey from the oven.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes three dozen cookies
Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks; 6 ounces) salted butter
1 cup packed (7 ounces) brown sugar
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) white sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Use a spatula to stir in brown and white sugars. Add egg, yolk and vanilla and stir until combined.
Sprinkle flour, baking soda, and salt over the surface of the mixture and then fold in until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake immediately, or cover and store in fridge until later use.* When ready to bake, use a spoon to tear out 2-tablespoon-sized chunks of dough. Do not roll into a smooth ball, just compress together slightly and leave the jagged edges for a rustic look. Place the dough balls on prepared baking sheets, up to twelve to a pan.
Bake at 325 degrees until cookies are light golden and puffy, about 12-14 minutes, rotating half way. They won’t look done, but don’t worry. Cool the cookies on the pan until firm enough to handle. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!
Notes:
Storage: my family likes to say these cookies need to “marinate.” They taste better and better the longer the dough hangs out in the fridge. We’ve let them go for up to two weeks, but if you have food-safety concerns about that, then just eat it all up within a week or stick any remaining cookie dough in the freezer.
Easy mixing: use the weight measurements and a scale to make this recipe even faster to whip up and to use even fewer dishes.
Bake time: Go with closer to 12 minutes if you are baking them right away, and it’s more like 14 minutes if you are baking them from cold.
Egg white: I mentioned granola, but there are loads of ways to use egg whites. Financiers, meringues, macarons, royal icing, washes for pastry and bread, etc. You can also store egg whites in the freezer for later use (until you accumulate enough to make something grand, like an angel food cake).
Adapted from the Cook’s Illustrated Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie