Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’ve tried many, and this is my favourite recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I remember my grandma teaching me that they key to the perfect cooking was the “under-bake”.  I was about eight years old when she accused me of burning the cookies (which were slightly over baked by her standards).  That's the only time we ever baked together. Harsh, perhaps, but I have never over baked another cookie!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 c. butter
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 3/4 c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. soda
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 325 g of chocolate (chunks/chips/cut up bars -whatever you like)

Icing

SAUCE

toppings

dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cream butter and sugars really well. This should take at least 5 minutes with a stand mixer. Beat and scrape down the sides several time until the butter mixture is very light yellow.
  2. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla with a fork then add gradually to he sugar mix. Mix on medium until incorporated well into the sugar and butter.
  3. Mix all the dry ingredients together (including the chocolate) and then add to the butter about ½ c at a time until just incorporated.
  4. At this point, I recommend covering the dough and letting it sit in the fridge overnight or at least for several hours to let the flour hydrate - I'm not sure what that means, but that's what the "pros" say!
  5. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I measure out 70g balls.
  6. Bake at 350° F for about 10 mins. – watch them closely so you don’t over bake. OBVIOULSY, the size of the cookie you choose to make impacts baking time.

TIPS & HINTS

To achieve the perfect consistency, pull the cookies out of the oven when the edges just start to brown and they still look puffy (even slightly raw).  Let them cool and settle on the hot cookie sheet. For 70g balls, I cook my cookies closer to 12 minutes on a light coloured cookie sheet (darker sheets will cook the cookies faster).

For the lake, I often make and freeze the dough in the city and then bake them at the lake.

I conducted a taste test with this dough - changing only the size of the cookies. Everyone preferred the consistency of the larger cookie.

One final note - I tend to use dark chocolate (up to 70%) but this is simply a preference!