Sunday, October 21, 2007

Chocolate Chip Cookies...the ultimate

As you might know, I really enjoy baking, but the ultimate chocolate chip cookie has always alluded me. The gold standard to which I compare all other chocolate chip cookies is the Meeting Street Chocolate Chunk cookie in Providence. It's a huge cookie larger than my head filled with giant chunks of chocolate and the dough is just divine. I had a major breakthrough this past Tuesday when I baked up a recipe from Williams Sonoma. I'm pretty sure I've tried this recipe in the past, but I don't remember the results being remarkable because I probably made them small like the recipe suggested. This time, I decided to bake essentially one giant cookie on a rimmed baking sheet rather than separated small cookies because I didn't have the time to deal with baking individual round cookies. The results were delicious and as close to a Meeting Street cookie as I've ever come. I'm not sure if it was the superb heating powers of my new oven, but I even daydreamed about the cookies while at work the next day. Yesterday, our friends were over watching game 6 of the ACLS (go Sox) and requested the cookies so I baked a second batch. This time, I added a dash a cinnamon and I think it was even better so today I baked a third batch to bring to a church potluck and I must say, there were no leftover cookies. Here's the recipe:

plasticann's Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Note: yields 20 delicious giant cookies or 96 unremarkable small cookies
1 delicious giant cookie=4.8 unremarkable small cookies

2 sticks butter (1 cup) softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 and 2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 shakes of cinnamon
2 cups chocolate chips (one 12 oz bag)


1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. line half sheet baking pan with parchment paper
3. cream butter until fluffy
4. add sugar and brown sugar, cream until time fluffy and the sugar is no longer gritty
5. add eggs and vanilla, mix well
6. add dry ingredients, mix until combined
7. add chocolate chips, mix
8. Spread entire batch of cookie dough onto rimmed sheet or use large cookie scoop to scoop cookies and place them on the sheet just an inch or so apart. The cookies will bake into each other in the oven.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes, check to see they're nice is delicious looking and brown

7 comments:

Adam said...

I think one key is individually scooping the cookies on to the cookie sheet with space between them. Give natural boundaries when cutting them up, plus I think the dynamic of the cookie spreading as it cooks adds to the texture success!

Ann said...

Expert opinion by Adam is especially legitimate since he consumed cookies from all three batches.

Jayne said...

I have passed your recipe on to a friend of mine in Germany who was inspired by American Chocolate chip cookies.

I had to translate the cups into grams and fahrenheit into Celsius, so hopefully nothing goes awry!!

kateisfun said...

I made these tonight (sans cinnamon, avec pecans) and they're great! Yum. Thanks Ann!

BTW-- were your most fabulous pumpkin puffs you sent to the office with Adam from Real Simple? They were great!

Ann said...

Pumpkin puffs from the latest copy of Everyday Food.
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=de8f9d2567685110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Anonymous said...

I just read this recipe and was so intrigued I decided to take my chances and make a double batch for my company's Halloween potluck. I made a test cookie for Cad Cowboy and me. Yum! I think my co-workers will be pleased. :)

about me said...

ann! i'm also on a quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie...but it has to be gluten-free. (kind of a tall order, no?) have you ever tried baking with turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw) and/or with gluten-free stuff?