An Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

 

If you were to ask 100 people what their favorite home baked cookie was, probably 80 of them would say that it was chocolate chip cookies. Most of us grew up with our moms or grandmas making the traditional Toll House cookies, using the recipe found on the back of the chocolate chips bag. It would result in great cookies every time and it is hard to top that classic recipe.

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

At it's most basic, a chocolate chip cookie is a drop cookie that can be crispy or chewy, depending on your preference. The original recipe is credited to Ruth Wakefield. She started chopping up chocolate and adding the bits to her cookies at the Toll House restaurant. Over the years, bakers have added and changed ingredients to fit there intended changes, but the core of the recipe has remained the same. The basic recipe includes butter, eggs, white and brown sugar, vanilla, salt, baking soda, flour and semi sweet chocolate chips. Different versions will add nuts (pecans or walnuts are the most popular), white chocolate chips, caramel bits and candies. Some bakers prefer chunks of chocolate and will use dark chocolate. Others like milk chocolate while some use a combination of chocolates. There is no wrong addition, it all comes down to your tastes.

Our Really Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I like to use European or Irish butter. This is butter that has a higher fat content than most US butters. Costco has a great Irish butter that is usually about $6.00 per pound, much cheaper than most supermarkets. It's also important to make sure that your baking soda and baking powder is fresh. These two ingredients will make your cookies rise a bit, giving you a crisp edge but a chewy center. Check the label on your baking soda and baking powder and toss if they are old. These are two inexpensive items and you don't need to be saving money here. Many recipes suggest that you put your cookie dough into the refrigerator for a while before you bake. This is a good idea, up to a point. Putting the dough into the refrigerator will allow the ingredients to absorb better. After all, you are incorporating two fats (butter and eggs) and you want all of the ingredients to blend. The flip side is that cold cookie dough doesn't spread out as much when baking, making it harder to get the centers done. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes after you take it out of the refrigerator. I like to use my stand mixer for mixing cookies. It will cream the butter easily and works really well for blending the other ingredients. Using a spoon to add the chips and any nuts is a very good idea.

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup salted butter at room temperature. Leave out for at least 4 hours. 1 cup granulated white sugar. 1 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 large eggs, room temperature. 3 cups all purpose flour, sifted. 1 teaspoon baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. 1 teaspoon salt. 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips. You can use chocolate chunks.

Cookie Directions

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. In a large bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients except the chocolate chips. In the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter. Add both sugars and cream with the butter. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing well. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the chocolate chips. Drop cookies (about 3 tablespoons) unto the baking sheets, keeping each about 2" apart. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookie is starting to turn brown. Don't over bake! Cool for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.