Update 6/8/2010: The recipe didn't lie! I just over-baked the cookies!! I re-tried the recipe but only baked the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or just until the tops were beginning to crack and the results were delicious!
Update 5/4/2010: Unfortunately I lied ... or maybe I was misled... Alls I know is that some of the cookies were crunchy by 2:00 p.m. EST today . For those that are counting, that is merely 16 hours after they came out of the oven (not that I'm bitter or anything). I'll re-work the recipe and re-post when I figure out what went wrong...
Have you ever woken up at night and wondered why some cookies are soft and others are as hard has hockey pucks? I have. I used to think that under-baking cookies was the only way to get a soft chewy cookie but those results were temporary. Unless you eat the cookie immediately, or shortly there after the cookie will get hard and crunchy with time. I am a chewy chocolate chip cookie girl but I am also a self professed cookie snob, the chewy cookies that come from a package repulse me... even though everyone else I know seem to love them dearly. I decided early in my baking career, that I would perfect one craft at a time. My first baked choice of craft was the cookie... and cookies did I make. Chocolate chip, sugar cookies, crackled sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, inverse chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, cut out sugar cookies... you name it, I've made it. And I have a pretty darn good cookie recipe collection if I do say so myself; however, while my cookies were delicious the day of or maybe even the day after, I craved a chewier cookie that had real lasting power. A cookie that had enough chew to be sent in a care package and still taste as yummy as they day they were baked if UPS accidentally looses the package for a day or so. So I did some research, and after years of making cookies I can't believe the answer was SO simple. You'll never guess what the secret is. Really... you'll never ever guess. Brown sugar! I know, you're thinking to yourself, most cookie recipes have brown sugar in them already... but what would happen in you replaced ALL of the sugar with the gorgeous golden granules? Chewiness would happen.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit I only baked these cookies tonight so I can't attest to the staying power of the chew but trust me... I'll be tracking it in the days to come. It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it. Also, please excuse the terrible photo... like I said, it's 10:15 p.m. and natural light isn't really available right now... all the more reason to make more cookies this weekend!! Win. WIN.
Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated Magazine
2 1/8 C all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C chocolate chips (I use at least 60% cacao)
Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined. Stir in the chips. Roll dough into balls, approximately the size of golf balls for large cookies, adjust size to your liking. Bake for 15-17 minutes, but begin checking for done-ness at 13 minutes. Cookies will be cracked on top with a golden glow when done. Let sit for 2 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool.
P.S. Can't eat all the cookies in one sitting or you don't have a party to go to anytime soon? No prob, Bob! After rolling the cookie balls, place the raw dough in an airtight bag/container in the freezer and take them out to bake as you like! Just add one or two minutes to the cooking time. Your friends will be impressed when you always seem to have fresh chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven when they come over... plus your house will smell great and they won't judge the dishes piled up in your sink. Two birds, one stone. Done.
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