If you like crunchy or fluffy chocolate chip cookies, this recipe is not for you. in fact, this planet is not for you because you are clearly an alien.
But if the sight of a chocolate chip cookie that’s crisp on the edges but chewy and buttery in the middle and studded with melty chocolate makes your heart go pitter pat, I got you, fam.
It was a lifelong quest of mine for many years to perfect the chocolate chip cookie, and by golly, I’ve done it. As I live to serve, I will now impart my bounty of cookie knowledge upon you.
Tips for cookie perfection:
• Make sure to really cream the butter and sugar good. Set your mixer on high and whip it real good until it’s nice and light and creamy. Same goes for after you add the eggs. Look for a pale, light, and fluffy mixture.
This is the color we’re looking for with the butter and sugar.
And here’s what you want after the eggs are added. Light and fluffy.
• There are several schools of thought when it comes to measuring flour. There’s the spoon and sweep, scoop and sweep, scoop and shake, and the highly unrecommended “eye ball it” method. I am here to tell you that while I think the spoon and sweep method is the most reliable for getting the most consistent measurements, that technique will yield less flour than most recipes call for. Most recipes are written assuming you will do the ol’ “scoop and sweep.” Fluff your flour with a fork to make sure it isn’t compacted, sweep the measuring cup and level with a knife. Shaking the cup will result in compacting the flour. I’m not here to tell you how to live your life, but do it this way or else your life is garbage.
• Eat a separate dessert you found in the freezer while you make the cookies that you will also later eat. No, don’t do this. It’s a joke. I didn’t eat that. Ahem. Moving on.
How’d that get here?
• I believe in the importance of sifting or whisking flour, but I haaaaate getting extra things dirty. My lazy compromise? Add the flour, baking soda, and salt right on top of the creamed sugar mixture, and whisk the dry ingredients together, while trying not to incorporate the wet ingredients. After the flour has been sufficiently fluffed, mix everything together. Got 99 problems but another messy bowl and sifter ain’t one.
Here is a very bad picture of what I think is a fairly genius and lazy technique.
• Use a cookie scoop for scooping out the dough. Makes ’em bake more uniformly and makes ’em purtier.
Hello, friends. I can’t wait to eat you.
• If your oven has a convection setting, USE IT! This is a perfect cookie secret weapon. DO NOT OVER BAKE THE COOKIES OR LIFE IS MEANINGLESS. Take them out when they are lightly browned on the edges but still just a bit wet in the center. Really keep an eye on ’em the first time you make them.
Hello, again. You look simply ravishing.
Oh mama. If there are no cookies in heaven, I don’t want to go.
I’m telling you, guys. Learn from my years of failure. This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you need. Make them and love them.
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup butter and melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325, using the convection setting if possible. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or cooking spray. 2. Cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk and beat for 2-3 more minutes until light and creamy. 3. In the same bowl, add the flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk just these ingredients, being careful not to incorporate the wet ingredients. After whisking flour, combine all ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Chill dough in the fridge for 1 hour, or up to 1 day. If you don't have time to chill the dough, pop the first batch in the oven and just keep the dough in the fridge between batches. 5. Scoop cookie dough onto baking sheet using medium cookie scoop, spacing 2 inches apart. 6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, being very careful not to over bake. Cookies are done when they are lightly browned on the outside and still slightly wet in the middle. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 7. Eat at least one while still warm and gooey and consider starting a new religion designed upon reveling in the glory that is a perfect chocolate chip cookie.
Toss, tear up, or torch any previous recipe that might be taking up space in your house. This is the only chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need for the end of time. I can bribe my kids to do almost anything with the promised reward of these cookies.
This is the best compliment ever! And this recipe is only improved by your brown butter and rolo additions, yummmmm.
Do you have a convection oven?? I definitely do not and I’ve never actually know what they are. Buuuuut, I do know they are used extensively on the British Bake Off and that feels important! And also, when did you learn to take crazy good food pictures?! I wish I had some of those chocolate chip cookies right now!