Of course! The quest for the “best” chocolate chip cookie is a personal one, but this recipe is a fantastic baseline. It creates a cookie that’s crispy on the edges, chewy and soft in the center, and packed with flavor.
The secrets? Resting the dough and using a mix of brown and white sugars.
The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is adapted from the famous Jacques Torres NYT cookie, but simplified for home bakers. The key is the rest time, which allows the flour to fully hydrate and the sugars to caramelize better during baking.
Yield: About 18-24 large cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes (+ crucial 24-72 hour rest time)
Cook time: 12-14 minutes per batch
Ingredients:
· 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
· 1 ¼ cups (155g) bread flour (See Note #1)
· 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
· 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
· 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt (e.g., kosher salt)
· 1 ¼ cups (2.5 sticks / 285g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
· 1 ¼ cups (250g) light brown sugar, packed
· 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
· 2 large eggs, at room temperature
· 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
· 1 ¼ pounds (565g) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (See Note #2)
· Flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions:
- Combine the Dry Ingredients
· In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and coarse salt. Set aside.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars
· In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture becomes very light, pale, and fluffy. This step is crucial for creating the right texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients
· Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
· Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients
· With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just combined and there are no more streaks of flour. Do not overmix.
- Add Chocolate and Chill
· Using a spatula, gently fold in the chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.
· Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. This is the non-negotiable secret for a deeper, more complex flavor and a perfect texture.
- Bake the Cookies
· When ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before scooping to let it soften slightly (if it chilled for the full time, it will be very firm).
· Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
· Scoop the dough into 3.5-ounce (100g) portions (about the size of a large golf ball) for large, bakery-style cookies. Place them 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
· Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown and crisp, but the centers still look soft, pale, and slightly underbaked.
· Optional: Immediately after pulling them from the oven, sprinkle the tops with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
- Cool
· Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. They will continue to cook and set on the hot tray. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Key Tips for Success (The “Why”):
- Bread Flour: The higher protein content in bread flour creates more gluten, leading to a chewier, sturdier cookie. If you don’t have it, you can use all all-purpose flour, but the texture will be slightly more cakey and less chewy.
- Chocolate: Using a mix of chips and chopped chocolate bars is ideal. The chips hold their shape, while the chopped pieces melt into pools. A higher ratio of chocolate to dough is a hallmark of a great cookie.
- Resting the Dough (The Most Important Step!): This allows the eggs and flour to fully hydrate, resulting in a drier dough that spreads less. It also gives time for the sugars to break down into a more complex, caramel-like flavor. You can bake them right away, but they will be thinner, paler, and less flavorful.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: This ensures everything emulsifies properly, creating a uniform dough that bakes evenly.
- Don’t Overbake: They will look underdone when you take them out. Letting them finish cooking on the hot baking sheet is the trick to a fudgy, soft center.
Variations:
· Nutty Delight: Fold in 1 cup of toasted walnuts or pecans with the chocolate.
· Salted Caramel: Press a soft caramel candy into the center of each dough ball before baking.
· Everything Cookie: Add 1 cup of rolled oats and 1 cup of shredded coconut to the dry ingredients.
Enjoy what might just become your new go-to, absolute best chocolate chip cookie recipe