Intro
Alone in the fridge there sat a roll of freshly made chocolate chip cookie dough. It meant to join us for the weekend as the husband and I were enjoying a quiet weekend away, otherwise known as our babymoon. For those of you unfamiliar with this odd term let me explain – it’s a last chance getaway before the life-altering, sleep depriving, miracle of a baby arrives. We still have several weeks before baby appears (early September) but this was our last unbooked weekend of the Summer – my husband is a wedding photographer which makes this season very busy.
My dear friend and cooking class partner, Julie, insisted on us taking a babymoon. We needed very little convincing. Husband and I spent the last few days steps away from the ocean, surrounded by books, food and the ability to do whatever we wanted, when we wanted. For me this meant plenty of long naps, a few brief walks – or shall I say “waddles” – and quiet moments just staring at the ocean.
We read, we talked, we watched movies and we enjoyed the silence.
Now we are home. Back to our reality that is void of silence, filled with the happy cheers of two very energetic young boys. And back to that cookie dough that is all well rested as I am.
These cookies were baked just after the dough was made – they’re delicious. But if you let the dough rest a bit the flavors with become more pronounced- you will get a cookie with more toffee flavors and deep, rich color. They also don’t *puff* quite as much once they’ve rested. I used chocolate chips for this because I didn’t have couverture on hand and needed a cookie…. NOW.
I have been meaning to re-post my chocolate chip cookies for some time. First of all because the pictures are horrible and secondly because I left out a few key tricks in the mixing directions. I did not do this intentionally – I would never do that to you but since that post I have made thousands more cookies and have learned a few things a long the way.
Dana from Dana Treat recently took a baking class from me where we made my favorite chocolate chip cookies. She went ahead and did my job for me by writing an incredible post honoring these chocolate-laden morsels. Her post on my cookies was so perfectly written and her cookies are flawless, so I’m just going to direct you to her also.
Thanks Dana for such a lovely post!
THE Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 sticks butter (8 oz)
1/4 cup white sugar (2 oz )
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar (2 oz )
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (12 oz )
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (1/4 oz)
3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour (1 lb. )
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)
1/2 teaspoon good quality salt, for sprinkling on top before baking
Cream the butter and the sugars until very light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes on medium high. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.
If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.
Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt
2 sticks butter (8 oz)
1/4 cup white sugar (2 oz )
1/4 cup Turbinado sugar (2 oz )
1 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (12 oz )
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (1/4 oz)
3 1/2 cup All Purpose flour (1 lb. )
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 lb. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife cut chocolate chunks roughly 1/2 inch)
1/2 teaspoon good quality salt, for sprinkling on top before baking
Cream the butter and the sugars until very light and fluffy, about 5-7 minutes on medium high. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. With a whisk to combine. With the machine on low, slowly add the flour. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix. With a spatula fold in the chocolate.
If you so choose, and I do recommend that you do, sprinkle a very fine dusting of good quality sea salt. Fleur de Sel or Murray River Pink Salt are my recommendations.
Bake at 360* for 12 minutes. They should be lightly golden on the outside but still look gooey on the inside.
Oh my! So many things I like: babies, cookies,wedding photographers, vacations! Make extra dough this summer and freeze for after you have the baby: you need more extra calories for breastfeeding than you do for pregnancy, and if you are anything like me, you will be happy to eat cookies everyday! I am regularly called into the kitchen at 10pm to bake cookies for the breastmilk gods who must be fed.
Congratulations! I’m having a baby too around the same time as you are and the husband n I did run off for a baby moon. I loved every moment of it! The cookies look so amazing… bookmarked to try out to satisfy my cookie cravings! 🙂
What a lovely friend to send you away on a babymoon…! And we’re thrilled at another chocolate chip cookie post…your first one (er last one) yielded some rather yummy cookies but can’t wait to see what changes have been made and the delicious results are…
Your babymoon sounds like a lovely time. Congrats! And, these cookies are dreamy. Heading over to Dana Treat…
I have a really, super delicious improvement on the classic choc. chip cookie. I follow the recipe on the back of the nesle’s choc. chip morsels bag. Instead of the A. P. Flour, I use 1 cup Soy flour and 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour. Continue with the rest of recipe. I baked them for exactly 13 mins. pull them out and let cool on pan 2 mins and wire rack the rest of the time. Try it with any flavor chips of your choice. Give it a try, they R to decadent 🙂
Ooooh, I’m so glad you posted about this today! NOW I remember where I got that awesome cookie recipe! It has become our household’s favorite, thank you so much. I actually just posted today about it on my blog– we’ve been making it with smoked butter and/or smoked flour, and it’s pretty dang good!
These look amazing! Chocolate chip cookie recipes are one thing I love trying new ones of!
That looks like the single best chocolate chip cookie I have ever seen. I’ll have to add it to “the list”.
Such an exciting time for you…that looks like one darned good chocolate chip cookie. Thanks for the recipe.
These look fabulous.
these look perfect, bookmarked this!
these really are THE BEST cookies ever. I like to add chunks of caramel in too and for some reason the taste reminds me of smores.
I just love the way you write … and I just love the way you cook 🙂
Thanks for the lovely post!
Ahhh these look so fantastic! Yum!
I’m glad I did you proud. I’ve gotten some lovely emails and comments from people who have tried them – all glowing reviews. Thanks for developing perfection!
I just drooled on my laptop.
Thanks to you for this unique recipe. I am dying to try this with the 3 kinds of sugar.. And thanks to Dana for posting them!!
YUM! I made these with white whole wheat flour and plain old Hershey’s chips. They’d probably be amazing with AP flour!
These look great. I love sea salt! If using chips in a pinch, which would you recommend? semi-sweet or bittersweet? any particular brand and type you would recommend would work best in this recipe?
@NRS – I prefer Bittersweet. Ghiradelli makes a great one. Or if there is a Trader Joe’s near you, those aren’t bad either.
Thanks so much Ashley. One last question. What size scoop do you use?
@NRS – I typically roll the dough into logs. Chill it then slice in about 1/2″ rounds.
Made these today. And they really are the BEST ever! My quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe has now come to an end. I used a size 40 scoop and ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips. Thanks!
This recipe looks great. Can you tell me whether you are using cold butter and softening it through creaming, or whether you are using room temperature butter. Thanks!
Laura – Most often I use soft butter but in the not-so rare case I forget to take butter out of the fridge then I cream for a good 10 minutes. Great question.
Hello! Baked these last night – thanks for such a great recipe! I really love the texture, but i found it a little too sweet. Should I be cutting back on the light brown sugar or do I need to adjust the ratio of all three sugars?
thanks!
Thank You very much Ashley for the wonderful recipe. This works like a charm and they taste delish. I have blogged about these too, hope it’s alright
http://growlingtummiesapproved.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-precious-chocolate-chip-cookiesme.html
Thank You very much once again..and here’s wishing you and your family a very Warm and Merry Christmas!!
Happy Holidays,
Jyoti
I made these (and blogged about it!) just today. Thank you so much, Ashley – it’s become my favorite choc chip cookie recipe.
Yep, it is now THE cookie for me. I like it so much that i make it almost weekly. My friends are hooked, my kids are hooked, I am hooked (shhhh, don’t tell anyone)
Well, too late. I just blogged a recipe of the cookie today, with one small addition – Maple extract http://cuceesprouts.com/2013/06/chocolatechipcookie/
Ashley–before you revamped the site, there was a post on ‘the last cc cookie recipe you’ll need’ and I agreed as they were the best by far I’ve ever had/made. Is this the same recipe? I didn’t see that post anywhere.
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Can you make these by hand (as opposed to using a stand mixer)?
Absolutely!
I have been testing different chocolate chip cookie recipes from every corner of the internet and every cookbook in my house, and ever since I found this recipe a few months ago, I can say that I won’t be making another recipe. These are the best, hands down. Thank you!!!
YES! I love hearing that. You are so welcome. 🙂
I was just wondering if you can freeze the log for a later date? If you do so can you slice and bake right from the freezer?
You definitely can. The dough will keep in the freezer for at least one month. I usually let the dough sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes before I try slicing it. If you plan ahead, take the dough out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before you plan to bake the cookies.
Thank you thank you thank you!! I have been trying to find my perfect chocolate chip cookie for years. I can’t tell you how many recipes I have made, only to throw out dozens of cookies. This is my perfect cookie- crispy edges with a gooey, soft center even when room temperature. These didn’t flatten out when baking or out of the oven, which was a miracle for me, and are simply amazing. Thank you!!
I’m so glad!
These are the cookies of my dreams!
Thanks to Deb of Rainy Day Bites for posting a pic onto Instagram, I’ve found you and your yummy recipe. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, these cookies are great! I love the texture.
FAB!!!! JUST FAB! These cookies came out perfectly–both aesthetically pleasing and delicious! Perfect to take to work tomorrow 🙂 Thanks so much for the FAB recipe!
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These chocolate chip cookies are THE best I’ve ever made. Thank you.