Chocolate Chip Cookie

Okay, so this doesn’t really fall under my normal scope of this blog. It is really just something that I make a lot and think about even more. I am pretty nerdy about baking. And one of the main reasons I started this blog was so that if people ask me how I do something I will have the all the information in one convenient place. Then I can just send them the link. And, not to brag, but my cookies are pretty popular anywhere I take them, and something I get asked about quite a bit.

Also, now that we are in quarantine I haven’t been able to make cookies all that often because I don’t have any parties to go to or anyone else to give them to. I try to make cookies when I can give some of them away. Otherwise I eat most of them.

Also, I don’t have a ton of flour. The last couple weeks there hasn’t been any at the store. And I don’t want to use more than my share. But I am realizing that I really do therapy bake. When I am feeling a little down I start to think, “what could I bake” and it is so fun for me. Kind of strange I guess. But in any case, I end up baking cookies a lot more than I really should. And when I do, I usually end up eating more than I should. So, I guess it’s a blessing that I haven’t been able to make them as often as I used to.

I like to try new recipes and read all the tips and tricks on how to make cookies. I know how I like my cookies, but it took me a bit of trial and error to figure out how to get them to come out that way every time. Maybe you have been there, you make a batch of cookies and when they come out you think, “what happened”. Or maybe its the “Wow, these turned out so good, I wonder why they aren’t like this every time?!” That was me for a long time, but I finally have figured it out. I can honestly say that my cookies turn out the way I want them to every time I make them. There are just a few little things that make a big difference in how your cookies will turn out.

So, if you like your chocolate chip cookies chewy on the inside and full of chocolaty goodness then read on and I will tell you how it’s done. If you don’t like your cookies that way, well this isn’t the post for you. But honestly, my cookies are usually gone first anywhere I take them, so maybe you would like them if you tried them. I’m just sayin’.

So here is the scoop. First turn on your oven so it is nice and hot by the time you get your dough mixed. 350 degrees Fahrenheit, is what this recipe calls for, that’s pretty standard for cookies.

The first thing that matters is whipping the butter with the sugars (brown and white). Make sure your butter is soft before you start. I usually try to pull it out about half an hour or more before I am going to make cookies. But if I forget or I’m in a hurry I will just microwave the butter for about 15 seconds. If you haven’t ever softened butter in the microwave I suggest starting with 5 second intervals until you figure out how butter reacts in your microwave. It’s really best if you don’t melt the butter for this recipe. But if you accidentally do, just refrigerate your cookie dough for at least an hour before you bake it. You will know it is soft enough if you can easily make an indent with your finger.

Once you have the sugars and butter in the bowl turn the mixer up to medium speed and just whip them until they are lighter in color and fluffy looking. Then you will add the eggs, one at a time, mixing again between each one. Then the vanilla.

Once you have that all whipped you can add the dry ingredients. That is flour, baking soda and salt. This brings me to my next tip. I like my cookies to keep their shape rather than flatten when they bake. To achieve that, I “pack” the flour when I am measuring it. So, when I scoop the flour into the measuring cup I don’t fluff it first the way I do with some of my other recipes. I just scoop it firmly into the cup and I shake the cup to get most but not all of the excess off. So I end up with more than what the recipe calls for. But that’s the way I like them.

Now, I have learned that it is best to incorporate the backing soda and salt into the flour before you mix it with everything else. This will distribute the leavening and salt more evenly throughout your dough. Which as you can imagine is important. You can do this by combining all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then adding it to the wet. But I don’t like getting more bowls out, or getting them dirty. So I just leave all the dry ingredients on the top and stir them with a spoon before combining them to the wet stuff. In fact, I often just use the measuring spoon that I measured the baking soda and salt with. Is this the height of laziness? Probably. But that’s how I roll.

Before you add the chocolate turn on the mixer until all your ingredients are just combined. If you are using a stand mixer it is recommended that you mix the chocolate chips by hand so they don’t get stuck in the paddle. With a hand mixer you don’t have to. But either way be careful not to over mix your dough or it won’t rise as well.

You should now have everything in but the chocolate chips. So this is a good time to discuss chocolate chips. I know some people like milk chocolate and those kinds of people might think that putting milk chocolate chips in cookies is a good idea. I promise you, semi-sweet is better. It is just a little bitter, which means it is a good contrast to the sweetness of the dough. Trust me on this one. Even my husband, who is a staunch milk chocolate supporter has come around to my side, though only in cookies. Not only does he prefer my cookies to others with milk chocolate, he also, if making cookies, now uses semi-sweet as well. And he has discerning taste, so that is saying something. You should believe me. Try my cookies.

Put in the semi-sweet chocolate chips and stir them with a spoon until they are evenly distributed. Put the full amount in, unless you are planning on eating them by yourself. What is the purpose of chocolate chip cookies? They are a vehicle for chocolate. If you say, “I’m not really a chocolate person so I’m only going to put in 1 1/2 cups” your cookies might be eaten, but only if there are no other chocolate chip cookies around. Am I being a little too harsh?

Now it is time to bake your cookies. Well I’ll be honest, I would be okay with just eating the dough but it isn’t really a good idea because of the raw eggs. So, I guess we should bake them.

Here is another place that I get a little nerdy. If you roll your dough into balls then it ends up with a really smooth texture. However, I read somewhere that people are more attracted by a more rough texture. This is something that I have found to be true as well. I have found that my cookies get eaten first at most places that I take them. Even if there are other chocolate chip cookies sitting next to them. (I mention that only to add strength to my argument) I think it is mostly because of the textured appearance of the cookies that people choose them. That and the chocolate chips on top, but I will get to that in a second.

So, how do you create a rough texture? You have to tear the dough. Actually, I read that you are supposed to make a ball and then break it in half and put the outsides together. But ain’t nobody got time for that. So, I just roll the dough into a rough cylinder that is the size that I want my cookies to be. Then I tear off a piece the size of a cookie and lay it with the rough side up. Then repeat until the roll is used up and make another, until my cookie sheet is filled up.

It works well and is pretty fast. I would argue that it is even faster than rolling it into balls, though probably not as fast as using an ice cream scoop. Try it out. My husband is willing to do it this way because he can tell the difference and that’s saying something.

I usually bake 12 cookies per cookie sheet. Unless I am making them super huge. When your oven is pre-heated you can just stick them in and bake for 8-11 minutes depending on your oven. With my oven I usually pull them out at 9 minutes but if this is your first time I suggest checking them at 8 minutes. You are looking for a darker color on the “peaks” of your cookies. You also want to make sure there are no shiny spots in the middle. If you see shiny spots or you don’t see golden brown peaks then stick them back in and check them again in one minute. Keep repeating this until they are no longer shiny and have golden brown peaks.

Then pull them out of your oven and let them sit on the counter or top of the oven. Don’t try to remove them from the pan for at least 2 minutes. This is actually a really important step because they are still cooking after you pull them out of the oven. You don’t want to mess with that.

However, if you really want to step up their appearance you can take a minute to place a few chocolate chips on the top of each cookie. I have found that even people who claim to not really like chocolate will still take the cookies that have a lot of chocolate chips showing. Even if they have a lot of chocolate chips but you can’t see them, nobody will take the chance. They will be last ones on the plate every time. I am not making this up. It is like science. So make sure every cookie has at least three chocolate chips showing on top. Just drop them onto each cookie and lightly press them in.

After the 2 minutes is up you can move your cookies onto a wire rack to cool. If you don’t have a wire rack a plate will work, they just might not be as crunchy on the bottom. Which is probably not a big issue because chance are people will eat them too fast to even notice the difference. Don’t believe me? Try making them and see what happens. And I would love to know what you think.