Today’s guest recipe comes from Cheryl Vivian, also known as the neurotic baker. We’re extremely pleased to have her share her recipe for the “best” chocolate chip cookies with us! If you’re looking for a excuse to use your kitchen to make amazing chocolate chip cookies, you need to try these!
I’ve seen a lot of articles out there for the “best” chocolate cake, or the “ultimate” list of where to get a great burger, but are they really the ultimate, or the best? I used to believe so until I started actually trying these places and recipes and realized that they’re all very subjective. Having said that, when I saw that one of my favorite sites epicurious.com published an article on making the ultimate chocolate chip cookies after testing several different scenarios, I knew I had to try it.
There were some basic rules to follow: use all butter, add both baking soda and baking powder to get the best possible texture, and if at all possible, use the best quality chocolate you can find, and chop it. They also made the disclaimer that for chocolate chip purists, you can use actual chips instead of chocolate. I decided to make one small adjustment. I was going to add more brown sugar than was required, because I’m really into baking with brown sugar right now. Especially dark brown sugar. I think it deepens the flavor and gives it a more caramel-like quality.
Enough nerd talk, let’s chat about the cookies. Were they the ultimate? Well, no, but they were very, very, very good. They had my favorite quality - crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle without being underbaked. I’m glad that I chose to use my nice dark chocolate, because they added to the soft texture of the cookie and with the extra added dark brown sugar, they weren’t overly sweet. I think this is a recipe that really lets the chocolate shine. I’m looking forward to making another batch to turn into ice cream sandwiches!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 8 ounces chopped high-quality semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Maldon salt (optional for sprinkling on top)
Directions:
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla in a small bowl.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Add egg mixture and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 3–4 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, beating until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate with a spatula. Spoon about 12 heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto each prepared sheet, spacing 1" apart. Chill dough 15 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to oven to prevent dough from spreading too much as it bakes.
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden brown around the edges, 10–12 minutes (cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cookies cool on baking sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely. Let baking sheet cool completely before lining with fresh parchment and spooning on dough for the third batch of cookies.
Adapted from Epicurious.
Cheryl Vivian is a neurotic baker who came to DC via Detroit, Chicago, and New York. She likes to get nerdy about baking and loves grilled cheese, charcuterie, a good happy hour and vintage everything. There are at least two dozen eggs, four pounds of butter, and a quart of buttermilk in the fridge at all times. She doesn't cry over burnt cookies, sunken cakes, or tough pie dough but she will try (and try) until it's just right. Cheryl loves to blend new trends with traditional recipes and believes that everything is better with a pinch of salt. You can check more on her Facebook page, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, BlogLovin, Feedly and Twitter.
All images were taken by Cheryl Vivian and should be credited to Neurotic Baker.
