Due to unavoidable circumstances (ahem, The Man), my cousin Danny will be unable to join our family in San Diego for Thanksgiving dinner. In an effort to put a little smile on his face as he works this holiday, I baked him a batch of chocolate chip cookies, one of the most comforting sweets there ever was.
It seems that everyone has a personal criteria for the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie. The America’s Test Kitchen‘s ideal is thick (half-inch high), jumbo (4 inches in diameter), and possesses a texture that is crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. Best of all, it’s a sturdy specimen, which means that Cousin Danny will mostly likely be greeted with a box of cookies rather than a mess of crumbs.
This recipe assumes that everyone owns a Kitchen Aid, which certainly is not true. I assure you that your cookies will turn out terrific with a little elbow grease and a sturdy spatula. Happy Thanksgiving!
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.
Working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 1/2 inches apart. Baking until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 17 to 20 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 20 large cookies.
Recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
I like mine with strong, buttery nuances. And preferably crispy exterior, and dense centre.
Nothing beats the whiff they emit when being baked though.
How did these come out Cathy? Chewy or on the brittle side?
Michelle - They were thick and chewy, very ideal for shipping up the coast. My personal favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe belongs to my friend Wes: http://gastronomyblog.com/2007/02/14/wes-famous-chocolate-chip-cookies/ These are large and gooey
Perfect =) Thanks Gastronomer! These babies are gonna be Christmas treat for some of my friends
did you eat any of the cookie dough? Most of the time I like the dough better than the actual cookie. Opps!
I love a thick chewy cookie – I’ll have to try this recipe out for the fam! Lucky Danny boy.
Hope you are having a nice time down in SD!
The search for the best chocolate chip is a fun Task.
These look pretty perfect to me! I’d have to mail them off *immediately* to keep from devouring them all. Gorgeous photography, too!
Your chocolate chip cookies look so moist and soft. I love them that way! Great job on making it without a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Bravo!
I think my stomach just rumbled…..Mmmmmm
these are the best!!!! tried them with crisco and they were super good that way too
These were great. I scooped out some of the dough, froze it in the balls and then baked them later and they still were fantastic.
Out of curiosity, why do you mention that the recipe assumes everyone owns a Kitchenaid mixer? I watched this episode online and all the liquid/dry mixing was done with a wisk, and the combined mixing was done with a wooden spoon. Not a machine in sight.
Also, a little tip. With this recipe, they melted 3/4 of the butter until “nutty” and then combined the remaining 1/4 in the hot butter to melt it. I believe this is because the melted butter loses its moisture, which is what you want for chewy cookies. But melting ALL the butter to a toasting point lost too much moisture.