The post-holiday blahs have zapped my motivation to try anything new, but here’s a fairly old chocolate chip cookie you might have missed or just forgotten about. I baked some this morning and figured they were worth posting, especially since some of you love chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and soft chewy centers.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe Pam Anderson wrote for USA Today. I didn’t make any major changes, and I even stuck with her recommendation of bleached flour as opposed to the usual unbleached. I’m not sure it made much of a difference, but the dough was a bit paler and the cookies were pretty tender. Either way, they were great. Just keep a close eye on them because the first part of the baking period is done at a high temperature and they’re easy to burn. Also, if you decide to make them any smaller (because these are huge), reduce the 400F part of the bake time to about 5 minutes.
By the way, the cookies in the photo are a little flatter than the other cookies baked with the same dough. The reason is that I threw some chunks of Valrhona chocolate (Christmas gift) in at the last minute. Whenever I use really good quality chocolate in chocolate chip cookies, the cookies spread more.
- 2 1/4 cups (10.1) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 14 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, warm but not hot
- 2 tablespoons your favorite vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups Guittard extra dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- Don’t preheat the oven yet because the dough requires chilling and freezing.
- Mix flour, baking powder and baking soda together and set aside.
- Mix eggs, vanilla and salt in a second bowl; set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix both sugars, melted butter and oil. Add egg mixture and stir just until mixed, then add flour mixture and stir just until mixed. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Scoop the batter into sections of equal size and put them on a parchment lined plate or cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer for about an hour or until frozen.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Working in half batches, place 8 frozen dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake on center rack until set, but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes (if you’ve made the dough sections smaller, bake 5 minutes). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until cookies are golden-brown around the edges and lightly brown on the top, about 8 to10 minutes longer. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Mmm, I love a reliable ol’ chocolate chip cookie and I never tire of trying new versions of it! Thanks for the update! By the way I love your honey badger mug ;o)
guittard is the one from king arthurs catalog? the one sold in large quantity?
i need to try that because I have to start saving money–the amount of money i spend on chocolate OY!
how was christmas for you?
I love chocolate chip cookies. They are my absolute fav. There isn’t much that beats a warm gooey crispy chocolate chip cookie!!!
I too really need to try the Guittard dark chips. I’ve never had them before but I’m sure they are great. I’ve never been able to appreciate Valhrona — much too bitter for my taste. The cookies look perfect though!
Yum! I have been kicking myself for not making any chocolate chip cookies this Christmas. Love ‘em with crispy edges!
Do you prefer this recipe or the Cooks Illustrated recipe for chocolate chip cookies? Thanks!!
Kim, that’s a good question. I think they’re about equal. The Cook’s Illustrated cookies (http://familyfriendsandfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/improved-tollhouse-cookies.html)
) have that little bit of brown butter that makes them good, while these have the extra whole to help carry flavor and improve the texture. Also, the CI cookies spread less and are a bit heartier in texture.