Chocolate Chip Cookies - New York Times Recipe 7/9/08

I've already mentioned my love for chocolate chip cookies.  Here.  Here.  And I'll even count here, even though these cookies happen to also contain oatmeal. So, when the New York Times dining section contained a recipe for reportedly fabulous chocolate chip cookies, I knew it was only a matter of time before I would try them.  It took me a little time to collect the flours (cake and bread), as well as find the time to make the dough and allow it to sit for the full 36 hours.  This is not the cookie recipe to make for instant gratification (although the two I baked up on the first night for scientific purposes were very tasty indeed).  No, this is the recipe to make for an event.  An event 36 hours from the time of making the batter.  These cookies are delicious, probably my favorite to date.  They have crisp edges, soft and tender centers and are positively littered with chocolate chippy goodness. Although maybe that's because my hand slipped just a bit when adding the chocolate chips.  

M. prefers the cookies sprinkled with a touch of sea salt, but I prefer them plain. I think this recipe is our new hands-down favorite, and will definitely be repeated.  But, as mentioned before, only when there's time or an occasion to plan ahead.  When you need a cookie right now, then another recipe will serve you better. But when you can plan ahead, then I urge you to try these cookies.  And then if you're like me, you'll quickly freeze balls of dough (see above) in the freezer so as to reduce the temptation to eat cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner while they're around.  Yes, they're really that good. 

I think I made my cookies a bit smaller then the recipe calls for, even though I made them bigger then I would usually.  I do think the size is somewhat important, as a smaller cookie might not develop the crisp/chewy texture that makes the recipe so delicious.  I used Ghiardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips (with a handful of regular Toll House chips for good measure). And, as I mentioned, I also froze much of the dough into pre-formed balls for easy baking for future chocolate chip cookie cravings.  These cookies are way too deliciously dangerous to leave lying around!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Jacques Torres

New York Times 7/9/08

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
  
• (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
  
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
  
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
  
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
  
• Sea salt.
  

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

The "BEST" chocolate chip cookies...

... that I've come across lately. I actually made these weeks ago, and have been meaning to post them for a while. Still, no time like the present!

This recipe comes from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan which is fast becoming one of my favorite baking resources. Every recipe I've tried has turned out well, and this one is no exception. When I make chocolate chip cookies (which are my absolute favorite and therefore must be distributed as quickly as possible), I usually send some into M.'s office, keep a few around the house for us and freeze some dough balls for quick cookie fixes. I simply prepare a tray as though it were going into the oven, pop it into the freezer instead and then put the dough (once frozen) into a freezer bag or container. Then homemade cookies are only a few moments away! The dough can go into a hot oven frozen, but may require a few extra moments to cook. I'm almost out of my supply... perhaps it will be time to make these cookies again soon. :)

My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (meaning Dorie Greenspan's best, although I agree)
Makes about 45 cookies

Dorie's notes -
In the category of "Great Chocolate Chip Cookies" these get my vote for the greatest. They are Toll House Cookies' kin, but I think my nips, tucks, tweaks and variation on the basic recipe make them their own kind of wonderful. They're thin and crisp and a bit chewy in the center from just the right mix of sugars - granulated sugar for crispiness and brown sugar for deep caramel flavor.

My notes -
I add an additional step to the recipe, and I freeze the cookie dough after mixing is completed. I find this helps the cookies gain height, and not run into each other as much. I just pop the mixing bowl into the freezer for about 20 minutes or so to chill, and return it between batches. I also just used regular chocolate chips and left out the walnuts due to personal taste. I also was quite lazy about cooling the racks between batches, and the results were still delicious.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (1 1/4 if you really like salt)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
2 large eggs
12 oz bittersweet chocolate chpped into chips, or 2 cups store bought chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (I omitted)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

Whisk flour, salt and baking soda.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth. Add sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so until well blended. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute or so between each egg.

Reduce speed to low, and add dry ingredients in three portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed or by hand, mix in chocolate and nuts.

(The dough can be covered and refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen. Dough can also be frozen in mounds as discussed above in my notes)

Spoon the dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between spoonfuls.

Bake cookies one sheet at a time, rotating at the midway point, for 10-12 minutes or until brown at edges and golden in the center. They may be soft in the middle, and that's just fine. Pull the sheet from the oven, and allow cookies to rest for one minute. Then carefully transfer with a wide metal spatula to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with remainder of dough, cooling the sheets between batches.

M&M Cookie Deliciousness!

Where does the time go? I've actually been quite busy in the kitchen. I've baked several delicious things lately, and made several excellent meals (if I may say so myself! :) ). Still, as always, life gets in the way. It's report card season again, and that plus preparations for packing, moving and M.'s recent birthday have kept me busy. I doubt it'll get much better in the next few weeks as we get ready to move. But I'll try to keep up!

Here's something I made to take to New Jersey for Easter. I'd originally thought of making a cake, but having an interview in the city before leaving for the weekend made manipulating a cake on the subway seem unappealing. M&M cookies popped into my head, and were a nice easy cookie to make.

I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com and then made my own changes to it. I did go back to try to link to the original recipe, but I couldn't find it again. My searches for M&M cookie came up empty. A little strange but ... oh well!

Here's the recipe. I would definitely make this cookie again. It was easy, had a nice chewy yet crisp proportion and was completely addictive!

M&M Cookie
originally found at allrecipes.com

1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.

In large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter with electric mixer or stand mixer. Add eggs, mixing for a minute after each one. Add vanilla, and beat for a minute before scraping down sides and beating again.

Add dry ingredients by half cupfuls until just mixed. Stir in 3/4 cup M&Ms.

Chill for 20 minutes ago, or until cooled and firm. Use dough scoop or tablespoon to measure out dough on to a cookie sheet. Press several of remaining 3/4 cup of M&Ms into top of cookies. Bake for 9-11 minutes (nine will be chewier, eleven will be crispier).

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Will keep for several days in airtight container.

Fall is here!

I love fall. I love the crisp coolness in the air. I love the change in the light - a bright summer day is definitely not the same as a bright fall day. I love sweaters, and yet not being strapped into winter coats (yet). I love apples, squash, pumpkin and all the foods of fall especially roasted veggies and rich, creamy soups. And when I don't live in New York City, I love the colors of fall. We're a little short on foliage 'round these parts, but I remember living upstate and just the gloriousness of fall color. So this is absolutely my favorite time of year.

When I saw these cookies on Crystal's blog, I knew that I just had to try them. They just look so ... fall-y! The candy corn, the chocolate - they're like Halloween in a cookie! I initially wanted to test drive them at home before making them with my class. And I'm glad I did. I was thrilled to see Crystal's note that they could be made without a mixer, however I really kind of struggled with this dough. It was very crumbly and I found it tricky to work with. No way would I want my students getting as frustrated as I did as I tried to roll it into little shapes for baking! I did double it, perhaps that's where the error lies. But at any rate, the recipe is quick, the results are cute and the teachers attending my class's weekly team meeting tomorrow afternoon will be required to dispose of the results.

I've got another couple cooking projects happening in the kitchen. It is amazing how motivated I feel on days when school is closed! It's like a little cooking (and laundry :( ) gift! But, I'll share those projects as the week wears on just to keep life interesting. No point in revealing all my secrets in one day when I can stretch a week's worth of posts out of them...

Chocolate Candy-Corn Cookies
Courtesy of Poco-Cocoa aka Crystal

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
about 36 candy corns

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.

Scoop out level teaspoons of dough, and roll into balls (chill dough briefly if it becomes to soft to handle). Place balls on baking sheets, 2 inches apart.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are firm and cookies are dry to the touch (do not let cookies color), 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from oven; gently press a candy corn into center of each cookie (surface of cookies may crack slightly). Cool on sheets 1 minute; transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Notes: You can make a non-chocolate version by eliminating the cocoa powder and increasing the flour to 3/4 cup.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Crystal's source: Everyday Food magazine.

Another night on the town...

... and so once again this veggie kitchen is closed. But, I was browsing blogs I love to read, and a chocolate-chip oatmeal cookie recipe caught my eye. Now, I am still determined to keep my diet light and veggie-heavy into the near future, but the girlfriends I'm meeting for dinner are under no such restrictions. And one of them is moving to Virginia in a couple days. Perhaps some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies might aid the stress in that mighty endeavor. So, on the spur of the moment I decided to whip up a half batch of cookies to take to them.

The original recipe came from Nic at bakingsheet. Something about her tantalizing description of the cookies made me want to try them, even if I wouldn't be enjoying them myself. Althought I did freeze a few lumps of dough for ready-made cookies at the drop of a hat .... for when this pesky healthy phase passes!

And I must report that the occasional chocolate chip that wandered away from the bowl wearing a coat of cookie dough that I had to rescue tasted absolutely delicious! :)


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Nic at Bakingsheet

My notes: I halved this recipe quite successfully. And I must have a tiny cookie scoop, because I got three- dozen cookies after halving the recipe! I used regular Old-Fashioned Quaker oats because I had them on hand.

Nic’s Notes:
- If you chill the dough for about 30 minutes before baking, you will have a slightly puffier cookie.
- You can substitute raisins for the chocolate chips.
- You can add up to 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts in addition to raisins or chocolate chips. You might want to make the cookies slightly larger if this is the case.

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups oats (rolled or "quick," but not "instant")
2 cups chocolate chips (about 12-oz.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated.
Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.
Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.
Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.
Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen.

Technorati Tags: baking, vegetarian, oatmeal, cookie, chocolate chip

Double chocolate satisfaction.

Before we left for New Jersey on Saturday, I decided to make a dessert to bring to my in-laws. I'd bought a block of white chocolate at Trader Joe's on Friday, and so I decided to make Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies. But, I really didn't have to time to bake batches and batches of cookies so I decided to alter the recipe and make a bar instead.

The results were delicious. They didn't look spectacular since we covered the pan with foil, and put it into a backpack while still warm. As a result of that decision, M. got to make the trip smelling like brownies, and the brownies kind of collapsed on themselves so that the top of the pan was empty when we took it out but the bottom had waves of compressed brownies. It was a very interestingexperiment, but luckily didn't affect the taste at all. The brownie-like result was dense and fudgy, and the white chocolate chunks made a nice contrast to the thick fudginess of the brownie itself.

This picture was taken while the brownies were cooling, and unfortunately doesn't display the chocolate/white chocolate contrast to its fullest extent. But trust me - it was there!

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (or Brownies)
Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa Parties
(makes 40-48 cookies)

Ina's notes - These are "reverse" chocolate chunk cookies. Chocolate dough with white choclate chunks. I prefer white chocolate to traditional choclate, so I think these are wonderful.

My notes - This was a very forgiving recipe. I was very distracted while making this, and put the eggs in with the sugars. I also used cold eggs. But there was no indication of these distractions in the taste, and the recipe worked very well despite my mixing up a few steps.

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate coarsely chopped (I used 10 ounces, and then threw in about a cup of regular chocolate chips as well)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and two sugars until light and fluffly in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate (and chocolate chips, in my case).

Cookie directions - Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4 ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes, the cookies will seem underdone. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly on pan before tranferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brownie directions - Put cookie dough into greased 9x13 pan (or 8x8 would probably work as well). Spread slightly and smooth top. Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes (mine baked for 35). Remove from oven, and cool in pan on wire rack.

Technorati Tags: baking, chocolate, white chocolate

Chocolatey-chip goodness!

My favorite cookie in the world is a chocolate chip cookie. I'm actually somewhat picky about desserts. If its not just right, I'll say no. Storebought supermarket cake - maybe not. Brownie with nuts - not for me. Double chocolate chip brownie without nuts - yes please!

My willpower is always tested with chocolate chip cookies though. I really find it almost impossible to turn down a good chocolate chip cookie. Unless it has nuts. But then I'll usually pick them out!

Yesterday I made the Alton Brown "Chewy" cookie recipe. I've made it before, but a long time ago and while I remembered the cookies as being good, I couldn't remember why. So I made them, and M.'s coworkers are benefiting from the vast majority today out of deference to my waistline. For those not aware, Alton Brown has a food show on the Food Network called "Good Eats", and has created three kinds of chocolate chip cookie recipes. The three recipes or the three types of cookies are called the "Puffy", the "Thin" and the "Chewy". Since I'm a big fan of chewy chocolate chip cookies, that's what I made.

I did have a little trouble with the recipe. First of all, its very precise. Tinkering with the steps will lead to disaster. When it calls for bread flour - the recipe means bread flour. That wasn't my problem. My problem was the size of my cookies relative to the baking time. The recipe calls for baking the cookies for 14 minutes, which I did. It also calls for using a scoop to scoop the dough, which I did. It just took me some time (and some cookies) to realize that my scoop must be much smaller than the recipe called for as my yield was much greater. I generally make cookies pretty small, so that when I eat several the damage isn't as great. :) But in this case, that meant I was over-cooking the cookies. Once I scaled back the cooking time, the cookies were complete in their chewy goodness.




The Chewy Recipe
Alton Brown - Good Eats

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.


Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Technorati Tags: baking, cookie, chocolate chip

Lavender Shortbread

I saw this recipe on 28 Cooks and thought it would be an excellent way to use up some of the lavender I still have lying around. The recipe was easy to throw together, it went from measuring to baking within the span of minutes. I did make one slight error - I didn't realize how the dough would expand in the oven and thus made my circles of dough a little too big. It wasn't disastrous, it just meant my shortbread was thinner then I had anticipated. And as a result, the ends browned a bit more then I would have liked. To be remedied next time for sure, as this will definitely be a repeated recipe - perhaps with a different herb next time.

This batch of lavender shortbread was bound for M.'s office where the feedback has already been excellent. Apparently lavender-tinged goodies are the way to office people's hearts!

Once again, the source of this recipe was 28 Cooks

Rosemary Shortbread
1 c flour
1/4 c plus 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tablespoon fresh lavender, chopped
1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350. Sift flour, 1/4 c sugar, and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in lavender. Add the butter and stir with a fork, or use your fingers to make a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and pat into 2 thin 6" discs on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut each disc into 8 wedges. Prick each wedge with a fork, and sprinkle the remaining sugar over the dough. Bake the shortbread until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Re-cut the wedges after removing from the oven, and cool completely on a baking rack.

Technorati Tags: lavender, shortbread, baking