Chocolate Chip Cookies

*PLEASE READ THE WHOLE RECIPE BEFORE YOU START

If you learn how to make chocolate chip cookies, you’ll be able to trick people into loving you. This recipe is not too complicated only using everyday ingredients so I believe you can make these without being afraid of burning down your kitchen. 

Let’s talk time, technique, and supplies:

TIME

This whole cookie-making process is going to take about 5 hours which I understand is wildly inconvenient for someone who wants a damn cookie and wants it now. The reason it takes so long is because the dough needs to chill for a minimum of 4 hours. When exposed to the cold, the dough holds its shape better while baking, fats solidify, and flavors deepen. It’s annoying but do it anyway.

Below you can see a cookie that was immediately baked vs a cookie that rested for 4 hours. I think we can all agree the rested chocolate chip cookie turned out much better.

The other hour of the cookie-making process takes into account mixing the dough and baking the cookies in small batches. I used to try and cram as many cookies as humanly possible onto a baking sheet because I was impatient. This was dumb. Don’t do this. Instead, have between 4-5 cookies per tray and only bake one batch at a time. They’ll bake more evenly and it will be easier for you to keep an eye on them. Plus while one batch is baking there is more leftover cookie dough to snack on. (This recipe does contain eggs and raw flour so you know… be safe with raw cookie dough consumption). 

TECHNIQUE

The trickiest techniques practiced in this chocolate chip cookie recipe are browning the butter, whipping the sugar, butter, and eggs, and measuring the flour.

BUTTER

It’s 2023, brown butter is everywhere. If you don’t want to go through the process of browning butter, just melt it in the microwave for 7-12 seconds. I recommend going through the process so you get the added depth of flavors, but I can’t force you to take the extra step. 

How do you brown butter? 

1. Set a pan or pot over medium heat
2. Put a stick of butter in said pan/pot
3. Once the stick has melted continuously swirl the butter 
4. Wait for bubbles to form and a nutty aroma to develop
5. Look for a deep golden or copper color to emerge
6. Cut the heat because congratulations you have browned butter

SUGAR, BUTTER, & EGGS

In any good cookie recipe, you’re going to be instructed to cream the sugar and butter together. This means the air will be incorporated into the batter which will help the cookie’s overall texture. The butter and sugar become emulsified and fluffy turning a paler shade than before. I also like to whip the egg in my cookie recipes not only to guarantee the egg is evenly distributed but I like a cookie with as much air as possible. 

How do you cream butter and sugar?

1. Put your standing mixer, hand mixer, or forearms on high speed
2. Vigorously mix without breaking until you see bubbles in the batter
3. If you’re using a fork (as I do because I’m lazy and don’t want to clean more dishes than I have to) tilt the bowl at a 45-degrees and mix by mimicking the motion of rolling down an old car window. The aggressive folding will help air pockets form.
4. When your arm starts to tense up from whipping or your ears start to hurt from the loud buzzing of a mixer, you know you’re at the halfway point. 

FLOUR

Measuring flour is tricky. For the best results use a food scale. For realistic results just use a measuring cup. When I created this recipe I added flour by scooping flour with my measuring cup and then leveling it out with the back of a knife. Technically this is wrong. Technically I should have spooned the flour into the measuring cup and then leveled it off to avoid the overpacking of flour. I wanted to scoop so I scooped. If you scoop like me, the recipe will call for about 2 cups of AP flour. If you measure it out the correct way it will be around 2 ½ cups of AP flour. 

SUPPLIES

For this recipe, there are a few versions of needed supplies but here are two examples 

Version One: The Minimalist

• 1 large bowl 
•  1 fork 
•  1 pan or pot
•  1 baking sheet with liner
•  1 measuring cup set 
•  1 sheet of plastic wrap
• 1 ice cream scooper
•  Working stove, oven, and refrigerator 

Version Two: The Baker

• 2 large bowls
•  1 sifter
•  1 electric mixer 
•  1 whisk 
•  1 spatula
•  1 pan or pot
•  1 baking sheet with liner
•  1 measuring cup set
•  1 sheet of plastic wrap
•  1 ice cream scooper 
•  Working stove, oven, and refrigerator

Most of these things I’m hoping you have around the house. If not, I’m sure you could get creative. Whether you use the latest kitchen appliances or a hodgepodge of plastic forks and old Tupperware if the cookies taste good no one will care.  

NOW THE FUN PART

INGREDIENTS

• 1 CUP unsalted butter 
• ½ CUP white sugar
• 1 ½  CUP brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 egg
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract 
• ½  TSP salt
• ½  TSP baking soda
• ½ TSP baking powder
• 2 CUPS ap flour 
• 2 CUPS semi-sweet chocolate chips 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rearrange your refrigerator so there is enough room to fit a large bowl that will eventually hold your cookie dough. 
2. Take butter and eggs out of the refrigerator. 
3. Acquire a large bowl and your favorite fork… or whisk if you’re a purist who loves spending an extra 5 minutes doing dishes… or a hand mixer if you don’t want forearms like Popeye. 
4. Put a small pot or frying pan on medium heat and brown ½ cup of butter. (Please look at the notes on how to brown butter).
5. Take the other ½ cup of the butter and place it in the large bowl. 
6. While still hot, pour the browned butter into your large bowl over the second half of the butter. (This warms up the cold butter and prevents the brown butter from burning accidentally.) 
7. Grab your fork (or mixing utensil of choice) and mush the butter together.
8. Add packed brown sugar and white sugar. Cream the ingredients together. (See notes).
9. Once your arm begins to cramp it’s time to crack the egg on a FLAT SURFACE and add it to the bowl. Continue to whip until bubbles form and your batter can stand at a very soft peak. 
10. Pour in vanilla extract and stir to combine. 
11. You now have two options. If you’re an organized person who unpacks their luggage as soon as they arrive at their destination of choice I suggest you choose option one. If a pile of laundry has been accumulating in the corner of your room for the past month… go with option two. 
12. Option One) Get out a SECOND BOWL to sift salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. (Please look at notes on how to measure flour). Once combined fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients then add chocolate chips. 
13. Option Two) Add salt, baking soda, and baking powder to the wet ingredients and gently stir to combine. Mix in chocolate chips. Fold in flour. (This is my preferred route… my laundry pile is on week three as we speak).
14. Grab some plastic wrap and tightly secure it over the bowl. Write the time on the plastic wrap in a sharpie or expo marker or whatever you got to keep track of how long the dough will cool. 
15. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and DON’T TOUCH IT for at least 4 hours but no longer than 48 hours. If you’re really impatient you could probably get away with 2 hours but if your cookies turn out to be crap don’t get mad at me.
16. Distract yourself by doing the dishes … or if you went with option two you probably won’t do the dishes and will leave them in the sink to “soak.” But do something for 4+ hours. Anything. Maybe a walk? Maybe a game of chess? Something. 
17. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
18. Grab a baking sheet and use a silicone liner to ensure the cookies won’t stick to the tray while baking. 
19. Grab the ice cream scooper you’ve never used for ice cream and scoop 4-5 dough balls on each tray. 
20. Bake ONE tray at a time in the MIDDLE rack. If you’re like me and you like your cookies to resemble hockey pucks, go for around 16 minutes. If you like your cookies to resemble cookies, go for around 12 minutes. 
21. Take your cookies out of the oven. If you like the shape leave them alone for a minute before you transfer them to a cooling rack. Freshly baked coolies are like playdough and can easily be molded or fall apart if not given time to settle. If you don’t like the shape of your cookies, then immediately once out of the oven, shape them with a drinking glass. 
22. Eat a cookie as a “tester”. Eat nine more cookies. Smile because you just created something out of practically nothing. If they didn’t turn out as perfect as you wanted them to be it’s still a chocolate chip cookie… even when they’re bad they’re pretty good.