After my years and years of searching, I found it! The perfect chocolate chip cookie, fluffy, but not overly, chewy, but still crunchy. It even has the uneven texture of a big bakery cookie that we all love so much. Not only can you make these small, but as the bigger they get, the better they look!
I actually researched different recipes, all kind of brands, with different methods. I looked and tried Hershey, nestle, bakers, and all others that I forgot their names. Surprisingly they were basically all the same, actually the only difference I saw was the different amount dozens they yield. One Hershey book actually had the same recipe twice, pages apart, with different titles and the instructions slightly mixed up. Talk about the Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Scam. I'm sure you are sick of my ramblings of horrible-OK recipes, and you're just here for the best cookies! Be prepared to be amazed....
Onto the recipe!
I personally weighed the ingredients, use your own judgement.
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Baking Illustrated)
Makes 18 Cookies
(I made some cookies smaller, so I was able to get more out of the recipe)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm (This I believe, is the most important step in the recipe).
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (I used parchment paper)
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. (This is so important for a great looking cooking. You can even roll 1/2 cup of dough and pull it apart, and use each half as a cookie to make it easier.)
Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes
(You have two options, either let them cool slighter and transfer them to a baking rack. Or you can let them cool completely and then remove. I let them cool slighter, but the recipe says to let cool completely. Once again use your own judgement.)
