Chocolate Chip Wonderfulness

Chocolate chip cookies...the classic...the standard...the staples of every American's diet (that might be more true than I really would like to look into right now). Chocolate chip cookies are so ubiquitous in our culture that there's really little left that can be done with them...except to make them magical! This recipe claims to produce the "perfect" chocolate chip cookies. Such a statement needed to be investigated.

"Perfect" Chocolate Chip Cookies
from Cooks Illustrated (June 2009)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 Tbsp butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18x12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 Tbsp butter in a 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. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 Tbsp butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add 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 for 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.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 Tbsp. Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.
5. 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 completely before serving.

Makes 16 very large cookies.

Browning the butter. As you may have noticed, this recipe is very specific about the details (which to ensure "perfection" I guess you'd have to be). They were very clear about not using a non-stick skillet to brown the butter since you won't really be able judge the color of the butter very well with one. Unfortunately, all I have is a non-stick skillet so I was left with no other option. If you have the option, use a different skillet.

Browned butter. I don't know if you've ever browned butter. I think I've only done it once or twice before this. It's pretty wonderful. The smell is absolutely amazing!!

First whisking.

Last whisking. All that whisking and resting might seem a bit excessive but look at the difference in the dough between the first and the last whisking. Apparently this process helps with the sugar dissolve better into the moisture and produces a deeper flavor and chewier texture (so don't skip it!).

Finished dough. I didn't have quite enough of the chocolate chunks (apparently someone had been stealing them; stinker!) so I added some regular chocolate chips too. I thought the variety would be interesting (especially since they were different brands and would therefore have different chocolate flavors). Speaking of chocolate chips, Cooks Illustrated did a review of chocolate chips: Ghirardelli and Hershey's scored the best (Hershey's is definitely the bargain though because they are often the cheapest brand as well). Who scored the worst? Everyone's standard, Nestle. Who knew?!!

Big ole' dough balls. They are smooth...and huge! They tailored this recipe to this size cookie though, so changing the size will affect the texture.

Big ole' cookies. They smell dreamy and bake up to a lovely, golden brown.

Finished product...Mmmm. These cookies are really, really good. The texture is awesome: crispy on the edges yet chewy throughout. The flavor is phenomenal: buttery and rich with caramel undertones. Seriously, these cookies are outstanding. One might even call them perfect.