Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe by Nicole Thom-Arens
Makes 3 Dozen Cookies
I’ve been working on the quintessential chocolate chip cookie for three years. Each time I make these, I consider additional tweaks, but after 20 years of baking chocolate chip cookies, I’m convinced this is as good as the classic is going to get in my kitchen. For years, my chocolate chip cookies came out flat, crisp, and greasy. Three years ago, I started experimenting with flour. My go-to recipe uses a combination of white whole wheat flour (whole wheat if I don’t have white whole wheat) and unbleached all-purpose flour.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softenedScant ¾ cup granulated sugarScant ¾ cup packed brown sugar2 large eggs1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or spelt flour (if using spelt flour, increat to 1 ½ cups) 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour2 cups milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugars. (This takes several minutes to be done properly. Stop the mixer and give it a good stir several times. The butter and sugar are well creamed when the entire mixture is paler in color and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the creaming!)3. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well before adding the second egg. Mix well until creamy again. (The addition of the eggs will make it look scrambled until well combined.)4. Add salt*. Mix well. 5. Add baking soda*. Mix well. 6. Add vanilla bean paste. Mix well.7. Once everything is well combined, give the bowl a good stir to ensure the bottom of the bowl is well mixed. (You cannot over mix at this stage, so make sure everything is really combined, light, and fluffy.)8. With the mixer off, add flours.9. Mix on low. Once just combined, stop the mixer and stir—getting everything from the bottom of the bowl. (If the dough is loose and easy to stir, add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is stiff but not dry. This is where I had the greatest learning curve. You can always add more flour, so go slowly. The dough should stay sticky to the touch.)10. Add chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. 11. Drop dough by the spoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (I bake 9 cookies at a time.)12. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on your oven. (Mine are golden at the 10-minute mark.)13. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack. (If you move them too soon, they may fall apart. Cooling on the pan allows them to set a bit.) 14. Once cooled, I like to keep these in the fridge or freezer for freshness—bring them to room temperature before enjoying.
*Adding the salt and baking soda to the butter instead of mixing with the flour ensures they combine well into the dough without having to sift the dry ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softenedScant ¾ cup granulated sugarScant ¾ cup packed brown sugar2 large eggs1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or spelt flour (if using spelt flour, increat to 1 ½ cups) 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour2 cups milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.2. In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugars. (This takes several minutes to be done properly. Stop the mixer and give it a good stir several times. The butter and sugar are well creamed when the entire mixture is paler in color and fluffy. Don’t skimp on the creaming!)3. Add eggs one at a time. Mix well before adding the second egg. Mix well until creamy again. (The addition of the eggs will make it look scrambled until well combined.)4. Add salt*. Mix well. 5. Add baking soda*. Mix well. 6. Add vanilla bean paste. Mix well.7. Once everything is well combined, give the bowl a good stir to ensure the bottom of the bowl is well mixed. (You cannot over mix at this stage, so make sure everything is really combined, light, and fluffy.)8. With the mixer off, add flours.9. Mix on low. Once just combined, stop the mixer and stir—getting everything from the bottom of the bowl. (If the dough is loose and easy to stir, add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is stiff but not dry. This is where I had the greatest learning curve. You can always add more flour, so go slowly. The dough should stay sticky to the touch.)10. Add chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. 11. Drop dough by the spoonful onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (I bake 9 cookies at a time.)12. Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on your oven. (Mine are golden at the 10-minute mark.)13. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack. (If you move them too soon, they may fall apart. Cooling on the pan allows them to set a bit.) 14. Once cooled, I like to keep these in the fridge or freezer for freshness—bring them to room temperature before enjoying.
*Adding the salt and baking soda to the butter instead of mixing with the flour ensures they combine well into the dough without having to sift the dry ingredients.
