Chocolate chips cookies were most likely the first thing I ever baked with my mom, as well as by myself. Nestle Toll House Cookies are by far one of my Dad's favorite treats, and he always appreciates it when I make him a fresh batch. Now, as the resident baker of the house, I've been doing my research about every element of the cookie, what makes it crispy, soft, balanced, and just deliciously. I passionately feel that the base dough for chocolate chip cookies are just as important, if not more important than the chocolate chips. A caramel, 'molassesy', vanilla soaked base is just what you need for all that chocolate to stand out. Inspired by everything I and my family loves about chocolate chip cookies, as well various cookie recipes from Bon Appetite, I've developed over many trials something that I like to call the addictive base level cookie, good for any occasion. I have also come to appreciate the technique of melting and browning my butter, diverging drastically from my original room-temp creaming method. I hope you try these out and let me know what you think!
*I will soon be adding grams measurements for my recipes as well!*
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups Semisweet or Bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup Dark chocolate bar roughly chopped
1 cup (2 8tbls sticks) unsalted butter
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour (you can add another 1/4-1/2 cup if you prefer a doughier, cakey cookie)
Optional: 2/3 cup chopped nuts or toffee pieces
INSTRUCTIONS:
1- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 sticks of butter, stirring often until it melts, foams, and browns, about 5 minutes. Pour the browned butter into a glass bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer. Don't brown the butter too much, as the residual heat will continue to brown the butter even as it cools.
2- While the butter cools, about 10 minutes, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a separate bowl.
3- Pour the brown sugar and granulated sugar into the browned butter, and beat until completely incorporated. Add vanilla.
4- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture starts to thicken, and lightens, about 1-3 minutes.
5- Fold in dry flour mixture a 1/3 at a time until just combined. Over mixing the flour will result in tough or puffy cookies. Fold in chocolate and optional nuts or toffee. Let this dough, which looks a bit loose and soft right now, sit out for about 30-45 minutes. This allows for the flour to hydrate, dough to thicken, and flavors to be enhanced.
6- While dough is hanging out and thickening at room temperature, line a baking sheet with parchment or non-stick aluminum, and preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) with rack in the middle. If you want to bake two sheets at a time, place racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, but you will have to flip the baking sheets halfway through baking.
7- Using an ice cream scoop, two spoons, or your hands, portion out dough balls onto your baking sheet, giving them at least 2 inches of spacing between each other (the bigger your dough balls, the more spreading that will occur, so space them out accordingly).
8- Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden and crisp, but the centers are still mostly soft, which should be about 9-12 minutes depending on your oven. Transfer to a wire rack so they can cool completely and crisp up further on the bottom and edges (don't worry the middles will remain moist if not over-baked!)
9- Repeat steps 7 and 8 until all your dough has been baked. In my experience, I can reuse the same non-stick aluminum foil on the baking sheet, but if I'm using parchment, I tear a new sheet for every batch of dough balls I bake.
TIP- If you are making this dough ahead, scoop the dough onto the baking sheet, cover well, and chill in the fridge or freezer overnight or for up to 5 days. I sometimes make my dough the night before and chill because it can really enhance the flavor. However, most of the time I just can't wait and baking the dough right away is still amazing!
