Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

My birthday gift to you: For the month of July, I’m sharing some favorite cookie recipes. I love baking, and I especially love baking cookies. These are some of my favorites.

These are my go-to cookies, especially since finding the recipe in Cook's Illustrated. This is my basic version of the recipe; I rarely if ever don't futz with it a little, though. A couple of the more popular futzings noted below. If you want the original version, head over to Cook's Illustrated.

You can double and triple the recipe. You can freeze any cookies you don't enjoy immediately in a zip-top freezer bag.

Variations:

Try adding 1 T of bourbon to the dough with the eggs. Nice notes but not boozy.

Try adding 1 T of dried milk powder or coconut milk powder to the butter mixture. Adds an additional creamy hm-what-is-that note.

Try 1/4 c less sugar (with the browned butter) and then stir in 1/4 c Demerara sugar with the flour.

Try with adding slightly crushed freeze dried fruit. Blueberries and strawberries were a hit.

Try subbing 1/2 to 3/4 rye flour for the same amount of all purpose flour to add a little bit of sour-nuttiness.

You can sub in other baking chips, if you like. Try a mix of white and dark chocolates. Or toffee chips. Chop up a favorite candy bar. Sky is the limit here.

I have also made the dough, tried to hide it from the boy herd, and then baked it the next day. Flavors a bit more complex. Note that the cookies will not spread quite as much.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 20 - 22 cookies 

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons full-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

flaky salt for sprinkling (optional, but adds extra oomph to the flavor and is a nice counter-point to the sugar)

Directions

Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat 8 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, put remaining butter, cream cheese, sugars and salt into a heatproof large bowl. Once butter is browned, remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, add browned butter to the sugar and cream cheese. Stir until completely melted.

Add vanilla, egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.

Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Using a cookie scoop, portion the dough into 2 T cookie balls onto the prepared sheet; they can be close together. (Note: you can also cover the bowl and chill the dough in the bowl, but I find trying to scopp chilled dough to be an unnecessary upper body workout). Cover the baking sheet with another upside-down baking sheet. Chill 1 - 2 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line one more pan with parchment. Move the dough balls to your prepared pans, 12 per sheet, leaving plenty of room around each cookie to allow for spread. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if using.

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies for 2 minutes on the hot pan. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely. Or eat while warm and be careful not to burn your tongue on the molten chocolate!

Enjoy!