I make the Alton Brown Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies for people who like their cookies dense, chewy and soft (but not cakey). The recipe calls for melted butter, bread flour and an extra egg yolk for chewiness. With these three things, the cookies always come out perfectly chewy and thick.
Using Weights Instead of Volume
Alton Brown's original chocolate chip cookie recipe is given in weights. I was just reading the version over on Food Network and noticed people complaining that 12 oz of flour was too little, but it's 12 oz by weight. To make it clearer, I just put all the amounts in grams so there's no doubt it's by weight. Hopefully someday we'll all be using scales and weighing things in grams, but for now these hybrid recipes with weights and volumes will have to do. Just know that if you use the weights the cookies will be awesome!
If you prefer thin chocolate chip cookies, Alton Brown also created a thin version called The Thin. I still like The Alton Brown Chewy better.
Tips for Alton Brown's Chewy Chocolate Chip
- Use weights.
- Use bread flour for thicker, denser cookies. Someone mentioned mixing in a fraction of all-purpose improved the texture. It might, but the cookies are perfectly good with 100% bread flour.
- Don't forget the milk! I've forgotten it on occasion and without the milk, the insides are kind of gummy.
- Shape the cookies and chill the shaped balls. The cookies will be rounder and prettier when made with chilled dough balls.
- I like to play around with this recipe a bit. Sometimes I put the egg and the yolk in the mixing bowl first, whip them really good, then add the baking soda and salt to the whipped eggs and whip another minute. Add sugar and whip until pale, then add vanilla. Stir in the flour (and milk, don't forget!) until blended, then stir in the chips. The whipping and adding baking soda to the eggs changes the texture somewhat.
Recipe
Alton Brown's "The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (230 grams)
- 2 ⅓ cups bread flour (330 grams)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup granulated sugar plus an extra teaspoon (56 grams)
- 1 cup light brown sugar plus a tablespoon (227 grams)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (28 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Let it cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
- Pour the slightly cooled melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed of an electric mixer. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture and stir by hand until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill the dough just until it is thick enough to scoop, then using a ¼ cup measure, drop big gobs of dough onto a parchment lined plate or cookie sheet and let the gobs of dough chill for several hours or until very firm.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange chilled dough gobs about 6 per sheet.
- Bake for about 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.
Anna says
Stephane,
228 grams, I believe
Stéphane says
Hello there ! Here is a question for a French Chewy cookie lover 🙂
In Alton Brown recipe, you mention "2 sticks unsalted butter", but how much would that weight ? thanks for letting me know...
Anna says
tg,Since you asked, I'm going to make a change in the directions. You should form your mounds with a very large cookie scoop or a quarter cup measure. They're huge cookies! Baking times are never exact, so you'll want to watch the cookies closely. But I generally scoop about 6 big quarter cup mounds and bake them for 12-14 minutes.
tg says
the alton brown cookies - yr instrux say "6 cookies per sheet" - but i'm wondering how big a portion of dough to lay down - "rounded teaspoon"?
~~my~~ says
thanks anna, i checked out your recipes with pics... Yum!! 🙂
Anna says
Jen, you'd better renew your subscription too!As for the cookies, I think the Nielsen Massey Cookies are drier. I don't mean they are dry in a bad way, just not as thick and moist as Alton's.
Anna says
Thanks, Amy!You're so sweet.I looked at your Alton Brown cookies and they're shiny as well. Guess it's the melted butter/sugar thing.I'm making baking up the rest of the dough this morning.
Anna says
Michele, I believe it's sugar, but what did I do to the sugar to make it glossy? Did it melt in the hot butter maybe? I've noticed I've gotten shiny tops on brownies which have used melted butter as well.
Michele says
Cookies and brownies look great! It's the sugar that gives that nice glossy look.