Is It Really THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie?

According to the New York Times, this is the best chocolate chip cookie out there.  Well, I happen to love chocolate chip cookies and I've made thousands, so we shall see about this claim!  Over the weekend I decided to take this pronouncement as a personal challenge as my FB friends can attest to because I whined a lot about it.  I shall perform this service out of my love for all man and womankind.  Let the drudgery begin :)

Provisions:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1- 2/3 cups bread flour
1- 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1- 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1- 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2- 1/2 stick of UNSALTED butter
1- 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 lb bittersweet chocolate (I used 1 cup semi-sweet tollhouse)
sea salt


Bake at 350 degrees...18 to 20 minutes.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugars together until very light, approx. 5 minutes will do.  Add the eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mix until just combined.  Add the chocolate pieces, mixing them in without breaking.  

And....TASTE.

Sorry. When it comes to cookie dough, I'm 10 again.

Surround dough with plastic wrap to prepare it for a cold, long nap.  24 to 72 hours!  This is supposed to make a difference, I refrigerated my dough for 36 hrs.

Roll em big!  It's suggested that the dough rounds be slightly bigger than a golf ball.  I layed out only 6 to a cookie sheet, they're big cookies!  Sprinkle some sea salt on each round before sliding them into a 350 degree oven.

Here are my results of the weekend long quest for greatness!

Lemme tell ya, they're GOOD!  Crisp on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside...and that extra pop of salt is SO darn delicious!  I baked these first thing this morning, the mysterious cookie alert sounded as somehow it always does and my daughter walks in!  Here she is "kissing?" a warm cookie with her shades still on (she just may kill me for this).

I LOVE YOU JEN!

My suggestion would be to MAKE THESE ASAP.  Goodness me, I do love a warm chocolate chip cookie...gourmet or not.  Can you imagine one of these with vanilla ice cream?  I can!


Happy baking!  File this one away as a "keeper"!  

Rebecca