I’m pretty sure I have a chocolate chip cookie obsession. Not just the “I love to eat chocolate chip cookies” obsession, but the full-blown, “make ten batches of chocolate chip cookies and then proceed to frantically give them away otherwise I’ll eat them all” obsession. Chocolate chip cookies were the first cookies I’ve ever baked, and I still think they’re the best cookie. You can’t go wrong with them, yes, there are a lot of different types of chocolate chip cookies out there (crunchy and thin, thick and chewy, lots of chocolate, no chocolate at all), but I’m positive that there is a type out there for everyone.
To avoid doing homework during college (oops…), I’d always try out new chocolate chip recipes and test them out on my roommates. They were THE best taste testers since some of them really liked a lot of chocolate chunks, one of them didn’t like any chocolate, and they were always willing to gobble up cookies coming straight out of the oven. This recipe is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, thin and chewy, but with still soft centers studded in large pools of molten chocolate…a hint of vanilla and just a sprinkle of sea salt on top. Ugh, I am guilty of eating way too many of these in one sitting.
These are super simple to make, and the addition of molasses is a game-changer, I promise you! If you just DYING to have chocolate chip cookies as soon as possible, you can go ahead and bake them after a 30 minute chill in the fridge, but I would definitely recommend not going less than 2 hours of chilling. The chilling allows the gluten in the dough to relax and the flavors to emulsify, which leads to a softer cookie and has some serious caramel flavor.
MY FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES | Makes approximately 1.5 dozen
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (make sure it’s fresh or your cookies will end up flat and sad)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp unsulfured blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter – softened
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chunks or chopped pieces from a chocolate bar
- Kosher or sea salt for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
- Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium-sized bowl
- In separate bowl, combine dark brown sugar, granulated sugar and molasses. Use hands to rub sugars and molasses together until well mixed (mixture should look uniformly like light brown sugar)
- In large bowl, cream butter either in stand mixer (medium-high speed) or by hand until it is the consistency of mayonnaise
- Then add in sugar mixture and beat together until butter is light and fluffy (3-4 min with mixer, 8-10 by hand)
- Add in egg and vanilla and then mix until just combined – do NOT over mix!
- Add in dry ingredients in 3 batches, mixing well after every addition (put mixer on low speed for this)
- Add in chocolate and mix in pieces by hand, over-mixing the dough will cause the cookies to be tough
- Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days
- Pull out dough 30 minutes prior to baking to bring it to room temperature and preheat oven to 350 (F)
- Roll dough into a little bigger than golf-ball sized balls and place on lined cookie sheets, giving them at least 3 inches apart to spread out in oven
- Gently flatten each ball with the palm of your hand and sprinkle with sea salt
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden and the center still looks a little soft. Cool the cookies (if you can!) on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
dumplings&donuts 