Despite my absolute passion for experimenting and creating new recipes, most busy work days I do tend to stick with my tried and true recipes, like these chocolate chip cookies that I’ve been making for.. maybe my entire life?

{ You know the one on the back of the Chipits Semisweet Chocolate Chips package with a few small tweaks. }

♥

I went to a house party a little while back that was catered. On the dessert table there was pretty plate of chocolate chip cookies and all it took was one bite..

Yes, it was love at first bite.

I was anticipating the big old dried out “bakery” cookie that would need to be carefully discarded after a tentative bite. Well, it wasn’t! But it wasn’t the typical chocolate chip cookie either. I was baffled but sufficiently “un-inebriated” and was able to deduce a  difference in texture. This cookie was thick and soft but still had a slightly chewy center, it was definitely different from any I’ve ever tasted. Worse yet.. they were better than mine!

If you bake chocolate chip cookies now and then you will know every recipe is basically some variation of whipped butter with sugar then the addition of eggs, vanilla then flour and baking soda and sometimes baking powder and salt then the chips of course. Quantities may vary, but they’re pretty much the same old same old.

I’m not ashamed to say the recipe was relatively easy to find, just google:

“best ever soft chocolate chip cookies”

 ..one I found was way too complicated, another added pudding (gratuitous addition of even more processed sugar?) and then I spotted it right at the bottom..

The Chewy Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network

I knew Alton Brown’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe must be my cookie! This recipe uses bread flour for its high protein content, an extra egg yolk, more brown sugar than white, milk and quite a different method than I’m used to. I love that it uses melted butter but the hour cooling in the fridge can be a bit of a drag.. but so worth it.

Would I change anything if I made them again? I used golden brown sugar and apparently the darker the brown sugar the chewier the cookie. I also would try using all brown sugar. In University a fellow student told me once his wife makes her cookies soft by using all brown sugar and no granulated and I’ve been doing that substitution in the Chipits recipe for years with excellent results.

I would also photograph them straight out of the oven and bitten into.. now that would have been an awesome photo!
I just might have to make these again so that I can switch out the pics:D

For accuracy, I would use a scale.. but the measuring cups are here for ease of use.

Alton Brown's "The Chewy Chocolate Chip Recipe"

 

Print

Cook time

14 mins

Total time

14 mins

 

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 12 ounces (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 8 ounces (1 cup) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 ounce (2 tbsp) whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12 ounces (2 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Measure the butter into a small pan and set over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the melted butter together with both the granulated and light brown sugars. Turn to medium and beat for about two minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg, yolk, whole milk and pure vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to low and add the egg mixture. Beat until the mixture is becomes quite thickened and creamy. Don't skip this step!
4. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the sifted flour mixture until it is all incorporated.
5. Remove from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and put your mixing bowl in the fridge and let it sit there for one whole hour. This is a key step, if you do not do this the already melted butter in the cookie dough will cause the cookies to immediately flatten once in the oven. So, into the fridge your dough must go.
7. After one hour, preheat the oven to 375F.
8. Remove the dough from the fridge and scoop onto either a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The cookies are done when they're slightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
9. Store in an airtight cookie jar or container.

Notes

I made a few larger cookies and gave them a little pat down before baking.

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