CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

When I was a youngster, every once in a while (definitely not enough), mom would make her way into the kitchen and make her version of chocolate chip cookies. I write “version” because, as it is, there are around a gazillion ways to make them.

For example:

Use melted butter
Don’t use melted butter
Use browned butter
Add some cornstarch
Use more baking powder
Chill the dough (dreaded)
Don’t chill the dough

And everyone seems to have an opinion on their favourite type of cookie: 

Crunchy
Soft
Crunchy and soft
Flat
Thick
Big
Small

Well . . . you get the idea. 

Mom’s chocolate chip cookie recipe (sadly long lost) yielded cookies that were flat-ish (not a bad thing), pale-ish in colour (also not a bad thing) and full of Hershey’s Chipits Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (definitely a very good thing). If there were any left over (and that is a BIG if) they froze exceptionally well (as most cookies do) to satiate a late night (or early morning) sweet tooth craving. 

I remember hovering around the countertop as she made them. Wide eyes gazing attentively to her every move and mouth watering for a taste of the cookie dough. She let me help, of course, and wildly enough, most of the dough ended up on the cookie sheet, but inevitably we both ate some with sticky fingers, flour on our shirts, butter on the countertop and always with big smiles and lots of laughs. 

Looking back, those times with mom in the kitchen seemed simple and beautiful. Now, they are memories, I hope, that will last a lifetime. And, of course, the older I get, the more precious these memories become. I think a lot of you know what I mean. 

Now onto my version of chocolate chip cookies. 

I won’t call this the “perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe ever” mainly because I don’t think any recipe is perfect. And chocolate chip cookie recipes are definitely not one size fits all. 

But . . . I promise if you follow the recipe, your cookies will be excellent. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be making this recipe with your children by your side or your furry family members scurrying around your feet trying their best to help too! 

This recipe is simple, but if you are new to baking, there are some fundamentals that are great to learn before trying any cookie recipe. Until a few months ago, to be honest, I didn’t consider myself much of a baker (other than bread . . . I bake really good bread). But then I found Baker Bettie and her free online “Baking Fundamentals” course and I learned so much! This isn’t a plug for Bettie. I just wanted to let you know there are some golden nuggets in there. 

Here’s the link: https://bakerbettie.teachable.com/p/fundamentals-of-baking 

A few key fundamentals for this recipe that will result in a mouth watering batch every time: 

  1. Cream your butter and sugar for a full five minutes.
  2. Know your oven temperature (I have an inexpensive oven thermometer hanging in my oven all the time. Our oven runs cool by around 5 to 10 degrees which can impact your baking a lot.
  3. Use room temperature eggs. (In fact, room temperature is key for most ingredients unless stated otherwise in the recipe.) 
  4. Let the cookies rest on the baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. 
  5. Ideally, weigh your ingredients when baking. Digital scales cost around $10 to $20 and are a great investment if you are jumping into baking. 

Now maybe the best thing about this cookie recipe is you do NOT have to chill the dough. And that means, you can zoom straight to Captain Cookie Champion in under one hour. 

So thanks to my mom for letting me be her baking sidekick and, of course, for always letting me lick the bowl.  

Note: If for any reason you are struggling with this recipe, message me anytime at trevor@gluggable.com and I will personally help. I really want you to have an incredible chocolate chip cookie recipe at your fingertips!

Dry Ingredients
540g all purpose flour (4 ½ cups)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients 
345g softened butter (3 sticks) 
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ¼ cups brown sugar (lightly packed) 
2 large eggs, room temperature 
1 tablespoon vanilla 

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (plus extra ½ cup for tops of cookies before baking) 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper. 
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), cream together softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar for five minutes. (It is important to cream for a full five minutes. Please do not skip this step.)
  4. Add 2 large eggs and vanilla to wet ingredients and beat until creamy (15 to 20 seconds). 
  5. By hand, stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined using a solid wooden spoon. 
  6. Fold in 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips into the mixture until just combined. 
  7. On one parchment lined tray at a time, drop ¼ cup ice cream scoop (or two tablespoons) of dough and add an additional 4 to 6 chocolate chips on top of each unbaked cookie.
  8. Bake for 12 minutes on middle rack in oven (one tray at a time).
  9. Remove cookies from the oven and let rest on the tray for five minutes. 
  10. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool. 

Recipe created by Gluggable.