The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Ever

My infatuation with this quintessential American treat started when I was a teenager during an exchange student program in San Diego, CA; I started my trip fairly skinny and came back with a generous ten pounds extra, all from the best chocolate chip cookies recipe. At that time, Miss Fields and David’s Cookies cluttered every corner of the sunshine state. Remember those? There I was, a declared Brazilian cookie monster, literally.

Fast forward many years, I’ve tried hundreds of recipes since then and became very particular about the subject. My children often eat chocolate chip cookies out of a bag, those small little quarter sized cookies, much too crispy and completely dry. They don’t even tickle me. Other times I see chocolate chip cookies the size of a salad plate. Not a chance—pass. In my opinion, the perfect chocolate chip cookie should be about 2½ to 3 inches in diameter (7 to 8 cm) so that the edges are crispy all around and the center slightly chewy. In every bite I want a combination of both, and only a cookie with those dimensions will really provide you with such memorable bites.

A while ago, The New York Times published a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that has it all. It captures everything I want from a cookie: melting chocolate mounds with a crispy outside and chewy center.

You know those bags of chocolate chips? Yes, those! Save them for something else, but not for cookies. Chocolate chips are design to resist melting. You want chocolate that melts. Disks or coarsely chopped chocolate will do fine. Another interesting aspect to consider in this recipe is the mix of cake and bread flours, producing the prefect structure for the dough.

But that’s just the beginning. What makes this recipe groundbreaking is … drum roll, please… that dough improves while resting in the refrigerator! That’s right, no chocolate chip cookie is worth eating unless the batter rests for twp days in the fridge.

I tried the recipe many times and made a slight modification by trimming the amount of sugar. Another crucial point: the best time to eat cookies is 20 to 25 minutes out of the oven.

If a cookie has been sitting for hours at a store, here is what I do: bring the cookie back to life. First, take it home. I know you want to eat it immediately but hold your horses and be a little patient. It’s worth it. Pre-heat the oven at 350˚F and re-bake the cookie for three to five minutes. Remove the cookie from the oven and transfer to a rack for another 20 minutes. Like everything in life, a little bit of patience also gives chocolate chip cookies the best result.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Ever

Inspired by The New York Times

Makes about 20 cookies (medium size)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8.5oz)

1 2/3 bread flour (8.5 oz) 

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda 

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt

2 ½ sticks unsalted butter 

1 cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate disks (60 % cacao content)

Sea Salt

Procedure:

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until light and creamy, 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.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
Scoop six 3.5-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.

If you still haven’t satisfied your sweet tooth, we also have a carrot cake recipe!