Decadence
secretburning asked me to post my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I'll be making these on Sunday as gifts, and they're sinfully delicious. I've taken the basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and tweaked it a bit according to my tastes and experiments. Use the ingredients listed, no substitutes, and you'll have tender, delicious cookies.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup natural sugar (I like Sugar in the Raw)
2 large eggs (preferably range-free, but regular eggs are fine)
2 sticks softened, unsalted sweet cream butter -- use the real thing, not margarine!
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 - 3/4 bag Hershey's chocolate chips (varies according to your chip preference)
Set oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in bowl. Set aside. Blend softened butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in another bowl until creamy. If you use the microwave to soften your butter, be sure to let it sit for several minutes to cool down and add the eggs last to the mixture. Mix. I prefer a hand mixer, and I vary the speed from low to medium to high then back down to medium again.
Now mix dry with wet. Stir slowly with a strong spoon; I like to use wood with no slots. It may seem like you've got too much flour, but it's okay. Everything will blend together as you stir. Once you're done, add the chocolate chips.
Sidebar on chip selections: Nothing against Nestle or the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I prefer to use Hershey's chocolate chips in my cookies as well as the other, purer ingredients. The flavor and consistency just tastes better. Or, for a decadent treat, I use Ghirardelli. I always put my bag of chocolate chips in the freezer the day before and then add them to the mixture while they're still frozen. I can't explain the science like Alton Brown, but the chips just seem to handle the heat better. Back to the recipe.
I like to use parchment paper for ease of cookie prep, especially when I'm making big batches of this recipe. Six cookies per sheet, place in hot oven for 11 minutes (1st batch) and 10 minutes (all other batches) or until golden brown. Your oven may vary, of course.
Another tip: I use an ice cream scoop to portion out the raw cookie dough to keep the cookie size consistent. I only end up with 18 cookies, but they're twice as big. If you use a smaller sized scoop, adjust your time. The cookies should be tender and moist, not crispy.
I usually let the cookies cool for an hour on racks, then store within an hour of cooling in plastic ziplock bags or containers. The cookies will remain tender and chewy for several days, but the richness of the ingredients, especially the butter, means they'll break down faster -- best to eat or give right away! In my family, the cookies won't last three days because they're so tasty.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup natural sugar (I like Sugar in the Raw)
2 large eggs (preferably range-free, but regular eggs are fine)
2 sticks softened, unsalted sweet cream butter -- use the real thing, not margarine!
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 - 3/4 bag Hershey's chocolate chips (varies according to your chip preference)
Set oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in bowl. Set aside. Blend softened butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in another bowl until creamy. If you use the microwave to soften your butter, be sure to let it sit for several minutes to cool down and add the eggs last to the mixture. Mix. I prefer a hand mixer, and I vary the speed from low to medium to high then back down to medium again.
Now mix dry with wet. Stir slowly with a strong spoon; I like to use wood with no slots. It may seem like you've got too much flour, but it's okay. Everything will blend together as you stir. Once you're done, add the chocolate chips.
Sidebar on chip selections: Nothing against Nestle or the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I prefer to use Hershey's chocolate chips in my cookies as well as the other, purer ingredients. The flavor and consistency just tastes better. Or, for a decadent treat, I use Ghirardelli. I always put my bag of chocolate chips in the freezer the day before and then add them to the mixture while they're still frozen. I can't explain the science like Alton Brown, but the chips just seem to handle the heat better. Back to the recipe.
I like to use parchment paper for ease of cookie prep, especially when I'm making big batches of this recipe. Six cookies per sheet, place in hot oven for 11 minutes (1st batch) and 10 minutes (all other batches) or until golden brown. Your oven may vary, of course.
Another tip: I use an ice cream scoop to portion out the raw cookie dough to keep the cookie size consistent. I only end up with 18 cookies, but they're twice as big. If you use a smaller sized scoop, adjust your time. The cookies should be tender and moist, not crispy.
I usually let the cookies cool for an hour on racks, then store within an hour of cooling in plastic ziplock bags or containers. The cookies will remain tender and chewy for several days, but the richness of the ingredients, especially the butter, means they'll break down faster -- best to eat or give right away! In my family, the cookies won't last three days because they're so tasty.