The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Discover the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe that delivers perfectly chewy, thick, and golden cookies. These chocolate chip cookies require a few days of chilling to develop intense flavors and ideal texture, making about 36 delectable cookies that satisfy any sweet tooth. Simple ingredients combined with careful techniques produce cookies that are fluffy on the inside with a delightful crisp around the edges.
- Prep Time: 3 days 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 3 days 30 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 8 ounces cake flour
- 9 ounces bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon Maldon salt plus more for sprinkling
Wet Ingredients
- 10 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 12 ounces dark brown sugar
- 6 ounces white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips or discs
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips or discs
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and Maldon salt. Stir thoroughly to blend and set aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: Using a large mixer, beat the softened butter with the dark brown and white sugars for about 5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. This aeration is key for the right cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Incorporate the eggs one at a time, ensuring you scrape down the mixer bowl sides between additions for even mixing. Next, add the vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste and mix to combine fully.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined to avoid overworking the dough which can toughen cookies.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Gently fold the dark and semi-sweet chocolate chips into the cookie dough ensuring even distribution without deflating the batter.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for up to 72 hours. This step hydrates the flour and enhances cookie flavor and texture.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Scoop and Bake: Scoop ¼ cup-sized balls of dough onto the prepared pans, placing six cookies per sheet. Bake for 16-20 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
- Cool and Finish: Remove cookies from the oven and cool slightly on the pan. If the cookies appear too puffy, gently bang the pan on the counter or flatten slightly with a spatula to release air pockets and achieve a denser cookie. Sprinkle each cookie with Maldon flaky salt while warm and let cool before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is inspired by the classic NY Times chocolate chip cookie, with slight modifications for improved texture and flavor.
- Weigh your ingredients rather than using volume measurements to ensure accuracy especially with flours for consistent cookie results.
- Use room temperature butter and eggs to help the butter cream properly with sugars, allowing better aeration and preventing butter from seizing.
- Chilling the dough up to 72 hours is essential to hydrate the dry ingredients and develop deeper flavors, as well as control cookie spread during baking.
- An oven thermometer is highly recommended to maintain precise oven temperature for perfect baking results.
- If cookies are puffier than desired, bang the pan on the counter or press them lightly with a spatula immediately after baking to flatten and create a chewier texture.