Amazing Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My goal this year is to post my tried and true recipes and this recipe is at the top of my list. I started my food blog back in June of 2019 and I’m not quite sure how I haven’t posted this amazing (it really is!) chocolate chip recipe.
I would like to talk a little bit about using a scale to measure your ingredients.

I made this purchase a few years ago, and I have to say it is one of the best kitchen gadget investments….just saying.
Please trust me on this! The consistency in the outcome of your baked goods will be so noticeable that you will wonder how you ever survived without one. Yes, it is that good!! I use mine for both dry and wet ingredients. This thing is a deal changer!

Next, I would like to talk about the quality of the ingredients you put into your homemade confections. When choosing an extract, be sure to buy pure and not imitation. It is going to make a huge difference in the overall taste of your product!
When I first started baking chocolate chip cookies, like most people my age, I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle Tollhouse bag. There was no Google or food bloggers and according to Wikipedia, the Food Network launched it’s first live broadcast on November 23rd, 1993.

It was over forty years ago when I first started making these very popular confections. They always came out pretty tasty, but they weren’t consistent. I mean, they tasted really good, but sometimes they were flat and crunchy, and sometimes they were puffy and chewy. It took me a while to figure out that dough needed to be refrigerated.

Fast forward to around 8 years ago. After Christmas, when I opened the last tin of cookies, I gave our grandson Seth a chocolate chip cookie (this was his favorite). He ate the cookie and innocently said, “I just like fresh cookies Mimi”. My heart sank just a little bit. He wasn’t saying he didn’t like my cookies, he just likes them “fresh”. I thought to myself, “I can do this”. I have been making “fresh” chocolate chip cookies ever since.

A few years ago, I found this chocolate chip recipe by Sally McKenney @sallysbakeblog. I had to get Seth’s approval for this new recipe I had come across. Sure, I thought they were delicious, but I wasn’t sure how well they would be received by my sweet grandson (did I mention he doesn’t like change?). As he ate the “new” chocolate chip cookie, he immediately gave me two thumbs up…YES!!! I was very excited! Thanks Sally!

I have been making these at least once a week (sometimes more) ever since. I make double batches and keep some frozen cookie dough in the freezer at all times. The dough can be baked in it’s frozen state at 350°F until golden brown. This takes around 15 minutes.

Since we have been quarantined, we leave frozen scooped cookie dough on our grandchildren’s doorstep, and their parents can bake it off whenever they would like:).

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cornstarch*
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (170 grams), room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (150 grams)
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (340 grams)

Instructions:

Line 2 baking sheets with silicone pads or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and cornstarch and set aside. *The cornstarch makes the cookies so chewy!

Cream butter for 1 minute in a mixing bowl with paddle attachment (you can also use a handheld mixer). Add brown and granulated sugars and cream for 2 more minutes.

Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape sides of bowl and paddle as needed.

Add flour mixture and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and mix until chips are incorporated.

Using a medium size scoop, scoop onto cookie sheets and refrigerate for at least two hours. This recipe will make 24 cookies. My husband is usually in charge of this step. He is very precise, and the cookies always come out very uniform in shape and size:). Thanks Babe!

Remove dough from the refrigerator and cook at 350°F for 11-13 minutes. Cookies will be golden brown. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Eat when warm, or “fresh”, with a tall glass of milk.

You can freeze the scooped dough on a baking sheet. Once the dough is frozen, transfer to an airtight container or Ziploc freezer bags. The frozen dough can be kept in the freezer to enjoy whenever you want a sweet treat.

Keep some frozen cookie dough in your freezer so you can have delicious chocolate chip cookies any time you want!

I recently purchased a couple of miniature cast iron pans by ©Lodge. I made some cookie dough yesterday and I placed a large scoop of dough (65 grams each) in the mini pans. Gently press the dough into the pan and bake them for 11 minutes.