Chocolate Chip Cookies – A cookie for the ages.
When you think of quintessential American food, what comes to mind? Hot dogs? Those were born in Germany. Apple pie crossed the Atlantic from England. Chocolate chip cookies though – they were invented in the late 1930s by Ruth Wakefield, who ran the Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. You’ll find stories of how the cookie was the result of a happy baking misfortune (chips falling into the dough or some type of ingredient substitution). The truth is, Ms. Wakefield was an accomplished baker, and the chocolate chip cookie is the result of extensive testing and planning.
For Americans experiencing the Great Depression, the chocolate chip cookie was a little culinary respite during a troubling time. Rich, chewy, and inexpensive to make, they offered a sweet diversion from their everyday worries. When WWII came along, chocolate chip cookies were included in care boxes to loved ones serving overseas. Though chocolate was scarce, women were encouraged to use what chocolate they could find to make and send cookies, boosting their troops’ morale.
It’s easy to understand this cookie’s eternal popularity. It’s budget-friendly, quick to assemble and quick to bake.And the nostalgia factor is off the charts! Often it’s one of the first things anybody learned to make with a pretty good success rate. Adding to these wonderful attributes is the irrefutable fact that they are delicious; chewy, sweet, a little earthy if you add nuts, perfect for anything from a box lunch to a sit-down dinner. That’s why the chocolate chip cookie is such a mainstay. If it was fussy or costly, it would keep company with the likes of baked Alaska or chocolate souffle in the recipe books, occupying pages that are smooth and unsplattered because nobody makes them.
There are a couple of techniques to ensuring these cookies come out of the oven irresistibly chewy. One is fluffing your butter. Not only is “fluffing butter” fun to say, but adding some air has a legitimate purpose. Whether you’re fluffing with a spatula or a hand mixer, the process of folding the butter over and over itself adds little pockets of air. Adding the sugars to the fluffy butter and continuing to stir the dough brings together crystals, fat, and air into a harmonious blend of wonderfulness.
But wait! There’s the bit with the dry ingredients.
You can dump them into the wet ingredients all at once, the cookie police probably won’t come peering in your kitchen window. However, if you add your mix of dry ingredients gradually, say a few spoonfuls at a time, it will prevent the dough from becoming too thick and glutinous, resulting in a tough cookie. And though it’s OK to be a tough cookie in the mentally strong, full of resolve sense, it’s not desirable in your sweet, chewy chocolate chip cookies. Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly integrated into the wet, stop mixing; overworked dough will turn out a dense, crunchy cookie.
This dough can be made ahead and kept, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready to bake, let the dough come to room temperature for an hour or so before cooking. Chilling cookie dough does a few things for the flavor: 1) it solidifies the fat and allows the dough to absorb the wet ingredients That means less spreading during baking; 2) it concentrates the flavor as it dries out; 3) it makes the texture more crispy/chewy than softy/doughy.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
Prep time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 8 minutes
Yields – 12 servings
Step 1: Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. Prepare your baking sheet with a silicone mat to prevent sticking.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to fluff up the butter until it’s light and airy, for about 20 seconds.
Step 3: Pour in both sugars to the fluffy butter and beat until the color lightens, which should take about 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the egg yolk and vanilla into the mix and beat just until they’re fully incorporated.
Step 5: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Step 6: Gently combine the dry ingredients with the butter mixture, beating just until there are no dry spots.
Step 7: Fold in the chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 8: Scoop the dough into 12 even balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart.
Step 9: Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye out for the edges to just start turning golden.
Step 10: After baking, let the cookies sit on the sheet for a minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
FAQs & Tips
Store the cookies in an airtight container along with a piece of white bread. White bread absorbs moisture without imparting any unwanted flavor.
Yes, but remember different darknesses will produce different taste profiles. Chocolate with a higher cocoa content balances the sweetness of the dough in a way that’s well, just right. Milk chocolate is great for people with a sweet tooth, but may be too much for many. White chocolate has no cocoa and is super sweet – might be best to balance white chocolate with the addition of nuts. If you use a chocolate bar, chop it into rough pieces and measure the way you would chocolate chips.
Pecans, walnuts, even filberts add a fun texture and balance to these cookies. If you can find them, black walnuts add an extra layer of earthiness to everything, especially chocolate chip cookies. Add about ¾ cup of your favorite crunchies when you add the chips and always remember – don’t overwork the dough!
Serving Suggestions
Assuming a few cookies are still around to serve after coming out of the oven, serve them with, well, anything: ice cold milk of course, tea, coffee with lots of cream, even a glass of your favorite red wine or . . . whiskey! After all, these beauties appeal to all ages, across the ages!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Small Batch)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. Prepare your baking sheet with a silicone mat to prevent sticking.
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to fluff up the butter until it’s light and airy, for about 20 seconds.
- Pour in both sugars to the fluffy butter and beat until the color lightens, which should take about 30 seconds.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla into the mix and beat just until they’re fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Gently combine the dry ingredients with the butter mixture, beating just until there are no dry spots.
- Fold in the chocolate chips until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop the dough into 12 even balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, spaced apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye out for the edges to just start turning golden.
- After baking, let the cookies sit on the sheet for a minute before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.
