Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies - The Final Chapter (Maybe)

I'm obsessed with finding the perfect and ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe. I think about it probably once a day. I have to stop myself from running to the store and buying all of the ingredients.

Well, not run. Drive to the store. Let's be honest - I haven't truly ran in about six years. Yeah! High school track team '02!

Everyone has their own opinion about what makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Some people like crispy, some chewy, some soft and undercooked. Some people like nuts (walnuts, pecans), some people don't. Then there's also the issue with chocolate - bittersweet or semisweet? Chopped bars of chocolate or chocolate chips?

I packaged these up and gave them away as thank-you gifts. :)

After much cookie research, this is what I've discovered I like, and consider to be important parts of the chocolate chip cookie:

-Browning part of the butter
-Using a high proportion of brown sugar
-Toasting the nuts
-Using chopped dark or semisweet chocolate instead of chips
-Chilling the dough
-Baking at a higher temperature (to start, at least)

I like for the cookies to be crispy on the outsides, soft and almost undercooked in the insides, and slightly chewy. I also like for the tops to be crinkly and dimpled... like my smile after I eat one of these. Heh heh.



This is my new, revised best chocolate chip cookie recipe.
This was the old one. Remember? I used yeast and a lot of you called me out on that.

I didn't use yeast in these - I used baking soda only. But you know what? I miss the yeast. For my next batch of chocolate chip cookies, I'm going to use a combination of rapid yeast and baking soda, and I think I'm going to age the dough overnight, like the NYT recipe. I think both of those elements will give the cookies a deeper, more complex flavor.

I think I will also brown part of the butter and add the rest later on in big chunks. And I might play around with the baking temperature, too... start out at a high temperature, then reduce heat and continue to bake.

I want my cookies to look like Levain Bakery's, which some people consider to be the best chocolate chip cookie in the world. Look how big and delicious they look! They almost look like a scone. I'm dying to try one. Hopefully someday I will.

That's it... I can't stand it any longer. I need to work on this recipe, improve it, and truly make the best ever chocolate chip cookie. I better jog to the store now. (To get ingredients, and get in shape.)
Does anyone feel like chocolate chip cookies?

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies - The Final Chapter (Maybe) (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1 cup unsalted butter
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground sea salt, plus additional for sprinkling
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter cookie sheets.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Boil 1-2 minutes, whisking frequently, until golden brown; stir in walnuts until well coated. Place on a sheet pan, and bake for 5 minutes or until well toasted; cool.

Melt 1 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; continue to cook the butter, whisking frequently, until it starts to brown and foam, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour and baking soda; stir in 2 teaspoons salt until combined.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat 1/2 cup softened butter, brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar until well combined and grainy, about 1 minute; beat in browned butter for 1 additional minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined; stir in chocolate and walnuts with a wooden spoon until combined. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (You could speed up this process by placing the dough in the freezer for about 45 minutes.)

Drop 1/4 cup measures of dough onto cookie sheet, forming into large mounds, and flatten slightly. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown around edges. Cool 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks.

Makes 4 dozen large cookies