the perfect cookie

Wow. In my years on this planet I have NEVER made a cookie better than this one. Although have I never lived on any other planet…if I did, I still think this would be the best cookie.

It’s chewy. It’s soft. But,it still has the toothsome “crunch” around the edges…

It stays soft and home-baked feeling, even a couple days later.

It makes people smile.

It’s one magic cookie, I tell you!

Have you ever had the Entenmann’s Hmmm, Not sure if I spelled that right…anyway- They have chocolate chip cookies that are really really good.

Don’t tell them-bit…these are better.

Mainly because they’re bigger.

I got the recipe from My Life As A Mrs., who got it from Brown-Eyed Baker, who got it from Baking Illustrated, and- that’s as far as I want in researching it. Because to be honest, I have been quite sick lately and my head has felt like a water balloon. The last thing I felt like doing was being upright. Ugh.

Today I am upright , though.

Ahhh….the vertical world. I love it.

Now, there was an odd part in the recipe, where I said “Huh?” to myself. I followed the directions, and took pics so you don’t have to say “Huh?” to yourself. See how much I love y’all?

It said to take a scant 1/4 cup of dough, okay, let me start right there. Scant. Hmmm. Here’s my scant:

Now, we’re told to make that into a ball, and then separate it into two(sloppy/lumpy) balls, and then stack them.

Hmmm…. Okaaaaay…

How’s that?

The recipe makes big cookies.

I have little kids.

So, I made some big grown up ones and some little ones.

A family of cookies.

I used a cookie scoop for the little ones.

How’d they work out?

Oh yeah, baby. Mmmhmmm.

Put out a platter and make someone smile and say, “Oooo, you made cookies!”

Nobody ever says “Oooo, you made cookies!” and frowns.

Well, unless the’re on a diet. Then, if you make these…well, that’s just being mean. Then tell them “You only live once.”

You don’t wanna miss out on these. They’re that good.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking Illustrated (pg 434) via The Brown Eyed BakerMakes about 18 Cookies

These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you’re using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches.

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheet with a wide metal spatula.

the perfect cookie

Author: Michelle Keith/ The Village Cook

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.
Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheet with a wide metal spatula.
with a side metal spatula.