New Favorite Chocolate Chip Recipe

Every office has them – the popular kids. Mine has a “popular pod,” a trio of gourmands, each with their own foodie kingdom. They are my eternal source of critique and essential information: Why are my buns so hard (no, that those buns)? What do you do with Swiss Chard?

So when I stumbled upon THE most AMAZING chocolate chip cookie recipe on smittenkitchen, they were the first to try them out… and loved them also. Now, I'm not really into chocolate chip cookies (shocking, yes?). I'm especially not into baking them. But occassionally, I do have these massive cravings for cookie doough. In the past, Ina Garten's recipe has held the favorite spot, but these have surpassed them just a teeeeeeeeny bit. However, Ina's are far sturdier, so if you are sending or planning to freeze these, go with Ina.

The recipe is from American pastry - ex-pat David Lebovitz, author of The Perfect Scoop via smittenkitchen, my favorite food blog. These cookies are soft and delicate yet so flavorful. They are divine with some cheddar cheese too. Both the dough and the finished, baked, product are delish. Also, the recipe only makes 20 or so cookies, so you don’t end up staying up until midnight baking them.

Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies*
from The Great Book of Chocolate via SmittenKitchen

Makes 20 cookies
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) (115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt or 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt (I used Kosher salt)
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) semisweet chocolate chips (or to taste, because that's quite a bit of chocolate)
1 cup (130 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Adjust the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat to 300F (yes, that would be NOT the usual 350). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Beat the sugars and butters together until smooth. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and baking soda.
Stir together the flour and salt, then mix them into the batter. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts. Scoop the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon balls and place 8 balls, spaced 4 inches apart, on each of the baking sheets (or make them the size you want, no biggie). Bake for 18 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Note: I tend to freeze most of the dough then bake as needed, but if you are of questionable health, pregnant, feeding these to small children, etc… don’t.
Note 2: I also have been known to freeze the baked cookies.