I had every intention of having a brand new post for you this week, but somehow it’s already Friday and the photos aren’t edited and I don’t even have the recipe written down. So instead we’re going to jump back into the recipe time warp and I’m breaking out one of my favorites: Cook’s Illustrated Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I made these for the first time about five years ago when I was interning at America’s Test Kitchen and was immediately hooked. A few months later I started working at Cutty’s in Brookline Village and was talking about how great the Cook’s Illustrated Chocolate Chip cookie recipe is (since most of the people that worked at Cutty’s had interned there or worked at ATK) and ended up finding out that the owner was the creator of the recipe.

Aside from the embarrassment of gushing over a recipe with the creator right there, these cookies really are some of the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. They’ve got a high ratio of brown sugar and when that is combined with the browned butter you get a rich almost nutty flavor.

These are a great cookie for beginners since you don’t need any special equipment, just a bowl, a skillet, a spoon, and a sheet tray. Oh, and if you’re only baking for one, you can freeze the dough and pop them in the oven whenever you’re craving some freshly baked cookies. Make these once and you’ll be hooked, trust me.

Here’s what you’ll need (from Cook’s Illustrated):

1 ¾ cups (245 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

14 tablespoons (200 g) unsalted butter

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

¾ cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place aside.  Whisk together flour and baking soda in medium bowl and place to the side.

Place four tablespoons of butter in a heatproof bowl.  Melt the remaining ten tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the butterfat starts to turn light brown and the butter begins to smell like caramel.

Remove from heat and pour on the remaining four tablespoons of butter stirring until remaining butter melts.

Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla into the bowl with the butter and whisk until most of the sugar has dissolved.

Next, add the egg and egg yolk and whisk into the sugar and butter mixture.

Continue to whisk until the egg is completely incorporated and there are no more lumps of sugar remaining.  This should take about thirty seconds.

Let the mixture rest for three minutes, and then whisk for thirty seconds.  Repeat this resting process two more times until the mixture thickens and becomes shiny.  Stir in flour mixture until it just combines into the wet ingredients.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Use a cookie dough scoop or divide the batter.  Place dough onto parchment paper lined trays and bake until the cookies turn golden brown with set edges and a soft center, turning once halfway through.  The original recipe calls for sixteen portions, but since I was making these for a party I chose to make smaller cookies.  It only took about 10-12 minutes for the smaller cookies to bake, the original says it will take 10-14 minutes to bake.

Remove cookies from the tray and place onto a cooling rack, and let them cool before serving

Set oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and place aside.  Whisk together flour and baking soda in medium bowl and place to the side. 

 

Place four tablespoons of butter in a heatproof bowl.  Melt the remaining ten tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until the butterfat starts to turn light brown and the butter begins to smell like caramel.  Remove from heat and pour on the remaining four tablespoons of butter stirring until remaining butter melts. 

 

Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla into the bowl with the butter and whisk until most of the sugar has dissolved.  Next, add the egg and egg yolk and whisk into the sugar and butter mixture.  Continue to whisk until the egg is completely incorporated and there are no more lumps of sugar remaining.  This should take about thirty seconds. 

 

Let the mixture rest for three minutes, and then whisk for thirty seconds.  Repeat this resting process two more times until the mixture thickens and becomes shiny.  Stir in flour mixture until it just combines into the wet ingredients.  Fold in the chocolate chips. 

 

Use a cookie dough scoop or divide the batter.  Place dough onto parchment paper lined trays and bake until the cookies turn golden brown with set edges and a soft center, turning once halfway through.  The original recipe calls for sixteen portions, but since I was making these for a party I chose to make smaller cookies.  It only took about 10-12 minutes for the smaller cookies to bake, the original says it will take 10-14 minutes to bake. 

 

Remove cookies from the tray and place onto a cooling rack, and let them cool before serving

From <https://kitchenintransition.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/chocolate-chip-cookies-revisited/>