Felice’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
My Beginning: a Sweet Ending
When I first searched for independence in the kitchen, I gravitated towards baking. I can’t remember the specific day or event, but I remember that my older sister gave me the idea to try making chocolate chip cookies on my own. Since my humble start of following the directions on the back of the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip package, I have developed my own spin on the American classic to make these cookies extra indulgent - enjoy!
INgredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, brought to room temperature
1 cup medium brown sugar
1/2 cup turbinado cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
2 whole eggs, brought to room temperature
1 dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped (I use Taza)
Preparation:
1. Begin with two separate bowls - one for dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients. If you are going to use a stand mixer, use that bowl for the wet, as you will be adding to it throughout the recipe. In the dry bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix briefly to combine.
2. In the other bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla on medium to medium-low speed. Without softening the butter too much, cream the sugars enough to lighten the butter in color. I find that the quality of the butter doesn’t matter very much for this recipe because there are so many other flavors going on, so don’t feel the need to splurge on this ingredient. I chose medium brown sugar because it adds the proper amount of richness without weighing down the dough. The turbinado cane sugar caramelizes BEAUTIFULLY and creates a rich, deep flavor. I also recommend that you use vanilla bean paste. It is not quite as expensive as a vanilla bean, but packs the same punch of aroma and taste.
3. After those are creamed together, add one egg at a time on medium-low. Adding one at a time will make it easier to combine. Once all of the wet ingredients are mixed, add the dry ingredients a cup or less at a time and combine on medium-low. Be very careful not to over-mix the dough, as it will make the cookies tougher and flatter because the gluten in the flour develops and strengthens the more it is mixed. You should stop when the majority of flour is incorporated. Remember, we have to add chocolate chips yet!
4. To me, the chocolate is one of the most pivotal parts of this recipe. I do not like milk chocolate because I think that the sweetness ruins the flavor of the cocoa - it’s just too much for me. I use a Taza “Wicked Dark” chocolate bar, which is super bitter at 95%. I roughly chop the bar so that there are a mixture of sizes, which the largest being only a bit bigger than a standard chocolate chip. The smaller pieces create beautiful flecks and swirls throughout the dough, and the larger pieces are the right amount of bitterness to offset the sweetness of the cookie. Finally, after mixing in the flour, it is time to add the chocolate chunks. Mix on low, only long enough to distribute the chocolate mostly evenly.
5. Now, cover the dough with plastic wrap or your alternative and put the bowl of dough in the fridge. I recommend letting it chill for 2-3 hours, but you don’t have to by any means. Chilling it lets the dough solidify more, so that the cookies turn out a bit softer, chewier, and more voluminous. If you don’t chill it, they will be relatively flatter and crispier, but the taste is very similar.
6. After chilling, set the oven to 375° F. Set up a cookie sheet with parchment paper and 1 1/2” balls of dough. The parchment will allow you to slide the entire sheet of cookies off onto a cooling rack, and quickly set up for the next round to go into the oven before the other cookies cool enough to remove. I also like that the parchment and size of the dough balls allow the cookies to crisp just enough around the edges, while remaining soft and chewy in the middle. Once the oven is preheated, slide in your cookie sheet to the middle rack and bake for 8 minutes. You will know these are done when the edges are getting dark golden and the middle of the cookies look just a bit raw. Don’t worry, after you remove them, they will continue to cook a little bit.
Yes, I love my dog Tucker too much!
Cookie’s favorite milk?
My favorite time to eat the cookies is right after I’ve put the next sheet in, and the last sheet has cooled enough to finish cooking. I pour myself a fresh, frothy glass of 2% milk and dunk them in. If you every stop by Rochester, NY, pick up a glass gallon of milk from the Pittsford Farms Dairy. It’s life changing. It is vat-pasteurized at low temperature to preserve the flavor of the milk, and people line up every day to pick this stuff up. I’m sure you’ve heard about milk’s favorite cookie, but this is cookie’s favorite milk. Well anyways, with or without the special milk, these cookies are irresistible, so be careful. If you try my take on this classic treat, let me know what you think about the recipe in the comments below!