"The Most PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookies"

If there are degrees of perfection, these cookies have achieved the highest level.

Trust me, I was skeptical. I had been disappointed at any attempt to improve on the basic tollhouse cookie.

"But then
I had a taste...
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace...
Of doubt in my mind...."

You get the idea. (My kids will tell you I have a habit of bursting into songs with cooking-related modified lyrics while in the kitchen. I know; super dorky).

Here are the two key differences in this recipe, which comes from one of my favorite sources, Cook's Illustrated:

First, I use 60 percent cacao chocolate chips, a slightly higher cacao content than conventional semisweet chocolate chips. (I use Ghiradelli; Hersheys Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips are good, too). If you can't get the higher cacao content chips, you can chop up a chocolate bar. Or if you want to stick with the standard semisweet chips, that's okay, too.

Second, I melt and brown the butter rather than creaming it. This really enhances the buttery flavor of the cookie. I'll walk you through that in case you've never done it before.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
14 Tablespoons 1 3/4 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup granualted sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional, I don't use them)

Preparation

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
3.Heat 10 tablespoons of the butter in a 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark gold brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into the hot butter until completely melted.
4. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixure is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using). Give dough a final stir to make sure no flour pockets remain.
5. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet, 8 balls per sheet.
6. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer cookie sheet to cooking rack.

Here's the step by step on the steps that might be new to you.

First, before I brown the butter I get everything else measured and ready to go. That way I can just focus on the butter.

So, I've got my flour and baking soda whisked. My eggs are ready. My brown and white sugar measured. The chocolate chips, vanilla and salt are ready to go. There's extra butter ready to go. (Browning the butter removes some of the moisture content so you won't brown all of it.)

**Note: on this day I needed to make a double batch of cookies so I could take some to my pastor's husband. He had hip surgery. You'll notice more eggs and butter in the photos than you'll be using if you're making a single batch.

Put 10 Tablespoons of the butter (again the butter in the photo is doubled) in a dark skillet. Be sure to use dark. A light skillet will make it hard to tell if the butter is browned as the butter's reflection will be misleading.

Melt the butter over medium high heat.

Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is a dark golden brown, and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes.

At first the butter is very foamy, but as the butter starts to brown the foam clears. You'll start to see little beads of browned butter fat swirling around the pan.

You can see in the next two pictures how brown the butter has gotten.

Remove the skillet from heat. Using a heatproof spatula, pour browned butter into a heatproof bowl.

Add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to hot browned butter (photo is for doubled recipe).

Stir the remaining butter until it's completely melted. It bubbles up when you put it in the hot butter.

Add both sugars. salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and which until fully incorporated. It won't be smooth.

Add egg and yolk nd whisk until smooth with no sugar lumps, about 30 seconds.

Let mixure stand for 3 minutes. Letting the dough rest gives it an unbelievable caramel or toffee-like flavor. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. It is sooooo worth the wait.

Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using them; I don't).


For a cookie that is crispy at the edges and chewy in the center roll dough into balls, using about 3 tablespoons of dough (or use a #24 cookie scoop).

I like my cookies crispy all the way through, so use about 2 tablespoons or less of dough.

Be sure to leave two inches between dough balls on cookie sheet.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Cookies should be golden brown. Edges should have begun to set, but center should still be puffy.

Bake cookies only 1 tray at a time. Putting two trays in the oven at the same time causes uneven baking.

The recipe says to cool completely before serving.

We never pay the slightest bit of attention to that.

Do you?