World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

A friend recently blogged about some food-blog famous chocolate chip cookies. Now, I love food blogs, and tend to look at an awful lot of food-related things (pictures, recipes, challenges, blogs...) on a pretty regular basis, but somehow, these had escaped my attention. Now, just so you know, I trust this friend's cooking, baking and food opinions. If she says they are the best and tells you that you have to make them, well, who am I not to listen.

I have made chocolate chip cookies before. I usually use some variation of the recipe on the back of the package of chocolate chips - doesn't matter the brand - you'll notice that most of the recipes are about the same. This recipe is nothing like that recipe. No all purpose flour here - half cake flour, half bread flour. And two and a half sticks of butter, too. How bad could it be? The only hitch was that the recipe calls for the dough to be refrigerated for 24 to 36 hours prior to baking. Wait a minute - you can't promise me the world's best cookies and then make me wait?!?! But I trust. So I proceeded.

Little miss helped make the batter yesterday. She took the process very seriously, measuring, whisking and making sure that I did everything right. She watched the mixer very diligently, too, and wouldn't leave its side while it did its thing.

We then put the dough in the fridge and tried to forget about it for an entire day.

Tonight, just before dinner, we pulled the dough from the fridge so that we could have fresh-baked cookies for dessert. The dough was a little tough to scoop, being so cold, but together we scooped out the six biggest cookies I have ever made (the rest of the dough went back into the fridge), and popped them into the oven just as we sat down to dinner.

I have to say, little miss ate her dinner very well and in record time. I think the scent of cookies baking is great incentive... I mean, it doesn't hurt that I served a guaranteed-hit dinner, but I definitely think that the cookies played a part. Anyway, by the time the timer beeped, she was definitely ready for dessert. And once I pulled these out, so was I.

I must say - these were delicious. Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, super chocolatey - definitely worth the wait. I can't guarantee that these are the best in the world (though have no objection to being put on the judging panel to officially make that determination...), but these are definitely the best chocolate chip cookies that I have ever made - much better than the standard package recipe.

And in case you are curious, little miss took the eating of these cookies just as seriously as the making of them, breaking off just the right sized pieces, dunking them into her milk just so...

I think six more of these will be baked tomorrow.

World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from the New York Times online)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)

Sea salt.

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop six (6) 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

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