Our lovely neighbor dropped off some cookies the other day while my sister and niece were in town. How did she know this
preggers lady has been craving chocolate like mad...? We'll never know, but it was one of the best presents I've received this summer. My favorite part...they're chewy and the salt on top satisfies my salty cravings.
Last night was National Night Out and I went on a cooking spree Monday night and made the dough along with some lentil soup and my famous homemade granola (Tim makes it, but I found the recipe). Anyways, I brought some out for the neighborhood and Mason (with a chuckle) said I was the perfect symbol of motherhood pregnant with cookies in my hand. Too bad it was so hot in the kitchen when I was baking that I smelled like I hadn't showered for weeks. No, not the
perfect symbol of motherhood the symbol of a realistic mother, I would say. Anyways, the cookies were a hit!
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies EverNY Times
Adapted from Jacques Torres
Ingredients-2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour.
I used all purpose 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.
I didn't have enough unsalted so I substituted one stick of salted 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 .
I used semi-sweet chocolate chips from our local Coop.-Sea salt
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 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.
Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.
My batch made about 2.5 dozen although my cookies may have been smaller
Richard Lowry
