Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Bakery (or better!) Chocolate Chip Cookies


I did it. I got some oomph and baked for the blog (ok mostly for me and my belly dweller). This is a chocolate chip cookie.
What? You say. Why? You've been there, done that and you liked your results.
And I did and still do. However, sometimes you've just got to branch out, stray a little to see if it's possible to have a new favorite. I think I might. These kinda rocked my world! My husband says he likes my usual chocolate chip cookie vs these, but he eats anything, I'm not sure his opinion counts here. I LOVED the thick, chewy texture that these have. I'm not one to enjoy a warm cookie - I know - but I prefer them room temp dipped in cold milk. These have the taste, texture, and size of the fancy bakery cookies (I'm not talking your local grocery store, but the ones where you look @ the price for a cookie and wonder if the chocolate chips are filled with gold?).

I'm kinda drooling as I type this. These cookies were gone long ago. And I miss them.

Bakery (or better) Chocolate Chip Cookies printable
Found this @ : Sugar and Spice
(Via: Baking Illustrated, page 434)
Makes 16-18 large cookies.

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

*Use your kitchen scale and weigh. I really think this makes a big difference here!

3 comments:

cocoa and coconut said...

I agree, it's always a good thing to try new recipes. Yum!

briarrose said...

Nummy.....nothing better than a fabulous chocolate chip cookie. A classic that always hits the spot.

Anonymous said...

Mmmm...These cookies looks amazing! :)

Post a Comment