Sunday, September 21, 2008

My FAVORITE Chocolate Chip Cookie

I have experimented with countless recipes searching for that perfect chocolate chip cookie. The characteristics of the perfect cookie are a very personal matter, and here are my preferences:

texture: chewy w. medium thickness --- everyone has their preference, and this is mine!

chocolate to cookie ratio: 50/50 --- I really enjoy having a lot of chocolate in every bite

chips vs. chunks: chunks --- I like sizeable pieces of chocolate in my cookie.

type of chocolate: bittersweet --- I like using Valrhona 61% extra bitter

nuts or other add-ins: NONE!!

With the above criteria in mind, this recipe is the closest I've come to experiencing CCC perfection. It's the "not so secret" secret recipe from Jacque Torres, and I'm sure many of you have read about this or already tried this at home. I've been making this recipe countless times, and have found that the following tips make this cookie absolutely perfect:

- Don't substitute the pastry and bread flours w. AP flour. I really believe that the combination of the pastry and bread flours give the cookie a nice slightly crunchy exterior giving way to a really tender middle.

- Hand chopped chocolate chunks, NOT premade chips - I will purchase a hunk of the best bittersweet chocolate that I can afford and hand cut them into chunks. The easiest method to chop a block of chocolate: nuke the block at 50% power for a few seconds, no more. It softens the chocolate just enough. Then take a large kitchen knife and chop away! Your effort will be rewarded with really nice ribbons of melted chocolate throughout the cookie.

- Chill the cookie dough at least 24 hours (I let my dough sit anywhere from 2-3 days) before baking. This is not for taste reasons that were recently written about in an article from NY Times (god forbid we're aging cookie dough...let's leave that for wine and cheese). IMHO, refrigeration makes a difference with the look and texture. I think the dough sets in a way so when you bake the cookies, you end up with the lovely wrinkles and folds as the balls of dough spread and bake. Until I encounter another recipe that will move mountains, I think have finally found my perfect chocolate chip cookie!

I would love to hear about your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, so do share! :)

Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

147 comments:

  1. This is bookmarked ten times. I have got to make it! Yours look fantastic!!!!

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  2. I till haven't had a chance to make these, but yours look fantastic! I'm going to have to just get it done!

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  3. this is totally my favorite ccc recipe as well but i have been lazy, substituting the AP flour in place of the pastry and cake flour. i will take your advice and make it how they were intended to be, i can't imagine them any better but i'm willing to try :)

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  4. Wow, I'm usually into a higher cookie to chocolate chip ratio, but those look fabulous! I know you said to follow the recipe without subbing in all purpose flour, but have you tried the substitution and tasted a difference?

    My current favourite CCC recipe is cook's illustrated thick and chewy. The only change I make is reduce the white sugar by half so that the cookies are less hard and dry. I don't think I can resist making these, but I wonder if it's ok to halve the recipe. I can't wait til the holidays when I can get into cookie baking modde!

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  5. Hi Steph -

    This recipe is really easy to cut in half. I usually make the whole recipe, and freeze half of the dough when the CCC urge strikes!

    I used AP flour the first time I made this, then subsequently tried the pastry/bread flours. It doesn't make a difference with taste; on the texture side, a whole different story --- the pastry/bread flours lends to a more tender cookie...I definitely noticed a difference. Hope this helps! :)

    Linda

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  6. No wonder their your favorite, they look amazing!
    Gotta try 'em! THANKS for sharing!

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  7. I usually go running whenever I see a recipe that calls for anything but AP flour, but these just may be worth it.

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  8. I keep seeing this recipe and meaning to give it a go... these pictures may be just the inspiration that I needed! YUM!

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  9. Those look so delicious! There's a lot of chocolate in them--to me that's the difference between a good CCC and a great one!

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  10. wow ... these look amazing! i've tried a dozen choc chip cookies, and have been meaning to try to NY times one for awhile now. i'll add this to my list!

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  11. I think my search has just ended! Thanks so much for sharing.....they sure look delicious!!!

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  12. WOW!! These look and sound absolutely delicious!!

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  13. Looks like a great recipe but there is no way that CCC dough would last 2 - 3 days in our refrigerator! It would get eaten until I had MAYBE enough dough to make 1/2 dozen. I'll try this and see if it 'beats' my current favorite recipe. What a great competition!

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  14. Those cookies look great.

    I recently came across a different way of baking CCC's (as you call them) that you might like.

    Check it out on my blog:

    http://themerlinmenu.blogspot.com/search/label/Cookies

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  15. I just made these too and am in LOVE with them! Your photos are just great!

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  16. Your pictures ARE great. Those do look like the perfect chocolate chip cookies, a lot better than mine. :)

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  17. These are now my favorite CCC's too. I actually prefer less chocolate to cookie ratio but otherwise I'm in complete agreement with you!

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  18. i'm so bookmarking this. those photos have got to be the best photos of chocolate chip cookies i have EVER seen. YUM!

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  19. This the key for the Nirvana hihihi

    Thanks Linda for this perfect recipe !!

    You will find mind on my blog today

    Have a nice week-end

    :o)

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  20. I am sooooo making these cookies!
    Thanks for posting them

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  21. I've had Jacques Torres' (my fav pastry chef) chocolate chip cookie before and you did it proud! They look AMAZING!!!

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  22. WOW...those CCC look amazing!
    I have to try them!

    But are here any Germans?
    I'm from Germany and have some problems with the recipe. I don't know which flour I should buy oO

    Would be very glad if anyone could help me!

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  23. I'm still looking for the perfect CCC recipe, and this is next on the list! We have similar preferences, though I will probably add some chopped hazelnuts as well.

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  24. Browsing foodgawker so late at night is always a bad idea...especially when you find something like these cookies! I have a sudden urge to go down to the kitchen, right now, and make them. I guess I'll wait till tomorrow though. They look great!!

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  25. Love how you broke down the criteria, hilarious. And the aging of the dough, seriously, funny. But yes, I too have noticed that you must refrigerate but 3 days?? How do you wait that long? I can barely stand an hour -and I put in the freezer to get the results faster.


    Holy cow that is a lot of butter, how can it not be good with that much butter.

    I've recently found that I love whipping the dough for 5 minutes, making it chewy which is what I'm after as well. Also love bittersweet choc, get the milk away from me before I drop kick you!

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  26. This is the only cc cookie recipe I'll ever use - I was partial to the original Betty Crocker recipe (couldn't be beat) - until this recipe changed my life! Gorgeous photography!

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  27. i made these cookies and they turned out spectacular. i used two pounds of semi sweet chocolate chips but they were good enough. use caution though, i have a kitchen aid mixer and the ingredients did not fit in the bowl by the end and i had to use a larger bowl and mix by hand. these cookies are monstrous and are defiantly worth the effort

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  28. These are the BEST chocolate cookies EVER!!! Believe me, I've tried A LOT of recipes over the years. The use of bread flour is inspired as it really makes the texture of these. Using the best bittersweet chocolate you can afford will make a huge difference as well. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!

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  29. I made these cookies, they are absolutely the best cookies ever. It is a must to use the 2 different types of flour and let the dough sit over night. I did try a couple of cookies before letting the dough sit overnight and the texture is so much better when you do. I am constantly fighting the urge to make them again and again, they definitely have a delicious.

    Thanks so much for the recipe.

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  30. WHO ARE YOU? PAULA DEEN?!?!

    SO MUCH BUTTER

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  31. I won a boy over with these!

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  32. i can't wait to try these. right now my favorite are from americas test kitchen. they have browned butter.

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  33. These are my absolute FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies, too!!!! I love them maybe a little too much.... :) Yours look delicious.

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  34. These are my absolute FAVORITE chocolate chip cookies, too!!!! I love them maybe a little too much... :) Yours look delicious!

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  35. I've got to try these!!
    -Lynseysleeps.blogspot.com

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  36. I have read so much about these cookies, and I actually have the new red New York Times Cookbook that has the recipe. It's been on my list of recipes to try for some time. Your photos have made me jump it up even higher on the list! :) Your cookies are just gorgeous.

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  37. Hi thanks for this recipe, I really want to make it, but is it possible for you to give the measurements in Metrics or anything else than cups. In europe we don't use cups, and i find it very difficult to make anything out of an american recipe :(
    Thanks a million, my e-mail : dianam1976@yahoo.fr

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  38. THESE LOOK SO YUMMY! my mouth is already watering... and I havn't even pre-heated my oven yet!

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  39. I've made these several times and they are delicious. But has anyone else thought there's too much salt? Every time I make them I keep decreasing the salt amount and they are still too salty. (The first batch was absolutely ruined by the salt.)

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  40. This sounds Amazing! I so agree with your preferences! My favorite recipe so far is pretty standard BUT calls for cornstarch! Something I had Never used or thought of before! It is amazing the difference!! I am lazy and use premade chips and chunks... I make a double batch (sometimes quadruple and freeze half... I put it in a freezer ziploc and flatten, then When ready I just cut the bag off and cut into squares and bake 1 minute longer... haven't tasted a difference in fresh and frozen!) and use a whole bag of milk chocolate chips and a whole bag of chocolate chunks per double batch! :) Love lots of chocolate!

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  41. I can't wait to make these!!! But, I can only find whole wheat pastry flour around here. Will it make a difference in the cookie if i use this instead of white pastry flour?

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  42. This sounds VERY similar to my mom's "Mrs. Fields Choc. Chip cookie recipe" that I made today. The differences?
    butter - same
    sugar - 1 1/2
    brown - dark brown, 2 c.
    eggs - 3
    flour - 6 cups all purpose
    salt - 1 1/2 tsp
    Vanilla - 2 tsp
    no baking powder
    soda - 1 1/2 tsp
    Choc. chips (obviously to preference, recipe calls for 2 cups)

    It makes a TON of cookies and they are absolutely delicious! I usually freeze the dough and make them at will. I'm wondering how the pastry+bread flour difference is from all purpose, same with baking powder. Might just have to make these next time, assuming I have those types of flours. For anyone who doesn't, try my recipe above, very similar to this delicious looking one!

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  43. Im surprised. I though you would use crisco instead of butter to make fluffy, chewy cookies. Every time I use butter they are flatter and crispier than the crisco version. Just curious if you've tried them this way.

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  44. I absolutely LOVE this recipe! They were the best cookies EVER! Thank you so much for sharing! (The first time I made them, it seemed like too much chocolate. So, I cut it in half, but I was wishing I didn't...I'm making them again tonight with ALL the chocolate!!!)

    Sherra Gist

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  45. Made the dough for these cookies about 2 days ago, and its been sitting in my fridge calling my name.

    Had a hard time finding regular pastry flour but did find whole wheat pastry flour at a health food store.

    Some are in the oven as I type and I just took a pan out a few minutes ago... they smell absolutely heavenly.

    Going to put them on a cooling rack now and then have one...

    Unfortunately the whole wheat flour made a difference taste wise. The cookies are great otherwise. Next time, I'll HAVE to use regular pastry flour. Love the texture, ALL of the chocolate and will be making these again.

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  46. these look deliciosoooooo

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  47. Hey there -- thanks for sharing. Maybe it's just me, but in the directions, I didn't see when to add the salt? I went back up to make sure salt was in the recipe, but just wanted to let you know! Thanks for sharing. This is a great recipe!!

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    1. I noticed that was missing also. I just put it in with all the other ingredients.my cookies came out flat but they taste really good & my family can't enough. I also couldn't find the pastry flour so maybe that'd why they were flat.

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  48. Made them, love them, would never make a different chocolate chip recipe ever again!

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  49. I like how our cookie preferences are the same ;)
    Which means...cookie time!!!!

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  50. These look amazing I will try them. My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe is:
    1 cup of butter
    1 cup of oil
    1 cup of sugar
    1 cup of brown sugar
    2 eggs
    1 tsp soda
    1 tsp salt
    2 tsp vanilla
    3-4 tsp cream of tartar
    4 1/2 cups flour
    12 oz package of semi sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
    cream butter, oil and sugars
    add eggs, blend in soda, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla,
    add flour a little at a time then add chips.
    bake 350 for 12-13 minutes makes about 5 dozen cookies
    Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They also do not brown much look more like a short bread cookie. They are yummy!

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  51. Delicious cookies! A must try for anyone who loves chocolate or cookies. Excellent recipe. Gold star for you!

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  52. Does anyone know if you're supposed to refrigerate the dough as a mass or already divided up into separate cookies?
    Thanks!

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  53. I made these cookies and mine turned out very crispy, they weren't burnt. Is this how they are suppose to turn out? Any suggestions on keeping them more on the 'chewy' side?!

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  54. Yum! Just made these and they are fantastic. I did use AP flour because I didn't have any pastry flour on hand, and I subbed apple sauce for about half the butter. They are still moist and incredibly rich with the apple sauce, so I'm pleased with that decision. I wasn't patient enough to chill mine overnight, but I think I will next time. Mine definitely didn't turn out as pretty as yours, but they are still deeeeelicious. Thanks! :)

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  55. Best.recipe.ever! I make this when my son and husband are out of the house so I can make sure they dont find the cookie dough.It's scary how fast they inhale these babies :)

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  56. 3.125 cups of pastry flour + 3 cups of bread flour = 6.125 cups of 10.715% protein-content flour (where AP is 10-12%). Just sayin'

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  57. this look so delish!! do you think you could substitute the sugar for sweetener in the case of a diabetic?

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  58. We cut this recipe in half and followed the recipe except we used AP instead of pastry flour. They were good but not the best we ever had. They were only ok. The recipe on the back of choc chip package is better except the freshly-cut chocolate is much better than the choc chips. Where did we go wrong? We used jumbo eggs instead of large but I don't think that's the problem. Our expectations were set so high but I would not make these again.

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  59. Ive made these wonderful cookies about a month ago and I call them my Gourmet cookies. I bought more bittersweet wafer or disc shaped chocolate from Whole Foods and have Ghiradelli block of chocolate that I need to chop. These are the best cookies ever:)

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  60. These are amazing!!! Prepare yourself for 8plus dozen cookies... Absolutely amazing!!!! Wouldn't change a thing!!! Great gift! :-)

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  61. Use pastry flour- they are so good!!!

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  62. Wasn't impressed with these cookies. I cooked a first batch for 15 minutes on my stoneware, they were hard but still edible. I cooked the 2nd and 3rd batch on a cookie sheet at 12 minutes and they were brunt to a crisp! I cooked the 4th batch at 10 minutes and they were still soft and the middle were gooey. I have cookie dough coming out of my pours. I will probably not make these again. Plus my cookies looked nothing like the picture.

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  63. Followed the recipe exactly (with just one minor change)- came out looking exactly like the picture.

    But the taste is TERRIBLE. Well, not terribly BAD, but the bittersweet overpowers the cookie and makes for a very unpleasant after taste on the larger chunks.

    The only change that I made was that I didn't have 24hours to refridgerate - needed to get them made. But I can't see that changing the taste of the chocolate.

    What's the deal?? Are they SUPPOSED to be that bitter???

    I am debating about throwing away an entire batch of already cooked cookies as I won't give these to friends and my kids (or I) won't eat them.

    ?????????? Suggestions???

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  64. I'm so disappointed. :-( I was so excited to make these and they turned out really crunch... Is everyone else's crunchy? I like my cookies soft and chewy, I mean, maybe they are supposed to be crunchy... any tips?

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  65. These cookies came out great. Used cake and AP flour to make the pastry flour and they came out great. Can this dough be frozen? I have so much dough and don't want to make the whole batch.

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  66. If you don't follow the recipe you can't really complain about how your cookies came out...

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  67. It calls for salt but never tells you when to use it! I also just used Pam on the cookie sheets instead of parchment paper And it worked just fine. We cut the recipe in half so we didn't have to spend $25 for two pounds of high quality chocolate.

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  68. These look absolutely incredible! The use of bread flour is very interesting! Thanks!

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  69. This is the Jacques Torres recipe from the NYT:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/091crex.html

    It makes fewer (1 1/2 dozen 5-inch) cookies, but this recipe and that one are still not proportional in ingredients. I am confused how they are both his. They look delicious though.

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  70. Can I use chocolate bark for this? My daughter is asleep so I can't go out and buy chocolate....and I need these now....

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  71. Where can i find pastry and bread flour?

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  72. can I use regular chocolate for this instead of bittersweet ones?

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  73. I made this juat yesterday and I had a hard time and couldn't in the end find the pastry flour so I used bread and AP and they tasted AMAZING. This is the Chocolate Chip Cookie for me!

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  74. Was on a mission to find my go- to CCC recipe... And I found it!! Tried many others but this one topped them all! :) baked some the first night and then the rest 24 hours later and liked the batch that sat in the fridge even better! Thanks so much!

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  75. DELICIOUS! Perfect for Valentine's Day for the classroom. I actually used AP for the pastry flour and RICE flour for the bread flour- It all works just the same. The cookies were firm but SO soft. It's amazing! They baked for about 8 minutes though!

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  76. Somebody else mentioned it doesn't say when to add the salt.

    I am baking these cookies as we speak and I followed the recipe to the letter so I didn't add the salt. I'm about 4 batches in now so too late. The cookies look amazing and the texture is perfect. However, while they taste good, it is very clear that something is missing. They are a bit bland.

    I highly suggest editing your post for future visitors to your site.

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  77. For intense chocolate, check out Askinosie: http://www.askinosie.com/

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  78. Tonight I am making batches 2 & 3 of these cookies. I've had to use what is available in my area so in the first 2 batches made I used 1 bag of Ghiradelli bittersweet, 1 bag of chocolate/peanut butter chips and in the 3rd batch it's white chocolate & macadamia nuts. YUM! These are a hit with not only my family but also I served them to my Wed. bible study group last week...hence the double batch this week! I used the large Pampered Chef scoop last week and turned 48 cookies out. Tonight I'm using the medium PC scoop and so far I have 68 'triple-chip' & 47 white-choco w/ macadamia and I have not made much of a dent in the bowls. I would say I will get about double the amount already cooked. That said...I am stopping at what is now cooked and putting the dough in the fridge for later. THanks for this awesome recipe....I hate baking cookies....or rather I did!

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  79. Just made these, soooooo delicious. I cut the chocolate amount in half and they still turned out great.

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  80. I could only find wheat pastry flour. Is that ok?

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  81. Can I use whole wheat pastry flour and whole wheat bread flour? A nervous beginner!! Thanks

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  82. OMG, THESE ARE MY FAVOURITE! I changed it to semi-sweet chocolate, Amazing!! my bf said they were comparable to his grandmother's cookies!! <that is a major compliment! :)

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  83. I just pulled these out of the oven and they are fantastic. I cut the recipe in half and only had bread flour and ap flour but the texture is awesome. They do not look like yours though. Why do yours look like the chocolate is swirled in? Hmmm!!!

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  84. I make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world IMO... BUT I haven't tried every chocolate chip cookie in the world so technically there is a chance I could be wrong. I will try your recipe & let you know if you've beaten me ;)

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  85. Found this cookie recipe through pinterest and wanted to tell you just how much I love these cookies. The pastry flour just completely MAKES them!

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  86. Yummy! must be appreciated by all! :)

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  87. I read all the reviews that said they would be amazing, but they are not that great. I would choose already made dough over these.

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  88. I just made these cookies and I followed the recipe exactly as you suggested. I even refrigerated them for 3 days. THEY ARE UNBELIEVABLE!! I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW GOOD THEY ARE!!!! I have made a lot of chocolate chip cookies and these are by far the best. My house smells like Mrs. Fields. Its amazing. Thank you for sharing! Sidenote: I tried baking one cookie each day to see if it really makes a difference to let it sit for 3 days and it makes a huge difference. Refrigeration is EVERYTHING.

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  89. My sister and I recently made these cookies and followed the recipe to a T. We ended up making 150+ cookies. I don't know how this could have happened. They were delicious, but not so delicious that we want so many sitting around our house.

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  90. I made these cookies with a few substitutions. I used cake flour instead of pastry flour, a little more brown sugar and less white sugar, half butter/half shortening and I used packaged chocolate chunks and some packaged mini chocolate chips.

    I made them to the tee the first time and they were very hard and crunchy. After I did some research, it said lots of real butter will make cookies much crisper, as will white sugar. The second time I made them with the substitutions they came out so much better! I definitely like a more chewy cookie! I may even use a little more brown sugar (less of the white)and more shortening (less of the butter) to make them even softer.

    And you might need cook them a lot less.. 15 minutes was way too long. I learned the hard way on my first try! But it is an amazing recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing it!!! :-)

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  91. King Arthur Flour website provided the pastry & bread flours as well as the bittersweet chocolate chips. The only deviation that I made to this recipe was the addition of chopped pecans. The scoop was an ideal way to make consitently sized cookies. I scooped several dozen cookies onto a baking sheet and froze them and then placed them in a freezer bag. Whenever I needed treats for family or friends, I placed the frozen cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and let them defrost (about 30-40 min) and then baked them as directed.

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  92. I have a question about your recipe.

    The NYTimes recipe is all over the blog world, and on the NY Times website as well. Is the recipe you posted here an adaptation? The one I keep seeing around has different measurements for flour, butter, etc. I used your recipe and my cookies came out a bit flatter than when I last baked them using the recipe from the NY Times website. Just curious as to what's different. Maybe yours is the full recipe while the other is a halved version?

    Oh, and I love how gooey the chocolate looks in your picture!!

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  93. Gayle: You say you followed the recipe, but then you go on to say how you didn't: used AP flour, jumbo eggs... They didn't turn out for you because you DIDN'T FOLLOW THE RECIPE.

    I REPEAT: DON'T USE AP FLOUR.

    If you want these cookies to turn out well you have to use the bread and pastry flours, they're the key! (And freezing the dough!)

    You can buy the flours at a bulk food store like BulkBarn.

    I also agree with other comments that 15 minutes is too long. 9-10 minutes is more accurate for a medium-sized cookie. But you just have to watch your cookies. You can tell by looking at them (which is why I took mine out early)--don't let them burn!

    I found the texture to be really good, though I may try another's suggestion of substituting some butter for shortening to give them more chew.

    And while I followed the recipe exactly, I did find there to be something missing. I did add the salt and everything, but perhaps needs more brown sugar. I can't quite place it.

    But what an improvement over the last cookies I made. Thank you so much for this!

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  94. I've made these cookies several times & every time they've turned out wonderful. I would say to make sure not to overbeat the eggs (I add all my eggs & then slowly mix them in). Also since I can't find pastry flour I used the substitution of 1 C + 1 Tbsp cake flour & 2 C + 1 Tbsp AP flour. Also used semisweet chips although I keep meaning to try them with the chocolate recommended - I always have semisweet chips on hand. :) These turn out slightly crispy on the outside but chewy & soft on the inside. i found that refrigerated them really only changed the texture - not the flavor - but maybe that's just me. :) Anyway - this is a tried & true, well-tested cookie recipe for me!

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  95. Oh, this looks so delicious! Great, thanks for this receipe :) Anna

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  96. Cheers to you these are very tasty cookies. Thank you for sharing. I followed your reciepe to the t.
    Excellent!

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  97. Best CCC recipe ever! I was desperate for a cookie, and didn't have exactly have all the ingredients. Followed the recipe to a "T", except I used chocolate chips and regular flour. They still turned out AMAZING!

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  98. Hello, could someone please clarify the following for me?

    -3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour


    Does this mean 3 cups of all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons of pastry flour??

    Thanks!

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  99. Wonder if anyone had tried to adapt this to make a gluten free cookie? The talk of special flours used, etc....which gluten free versions would you substitute?

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  100. Looks like I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said, but it needs to be said again. These are indeed the best.

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  101. I have made these cookies tons of times and everyone loves them... always subbing pastry flour for AP... tonight i am trying cake flour... we shall see bur def best CCC ever

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  102. How do you adjust for high altitude???

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  103. I can hardly wait to try these! I agree with you re: chewy (sl crisp edges, pls), great dk choc, refrig dough) and always have cookie sheets as cold as possible to prevent spreading too much. Aside from florentines or ultra-thin cookies, EVERY cookie dough I've made benefits by refrig 24+ hr (esp oatmeal) before scooping into balls. We tend to make mid-size 1.1 to 1.5 oz balls of the cold dough and freeze them. As I just ran out of "dough balls," so a half recipe of this will be made tonight to sleep in the fridge. CCC are so individual, but as my taste seems to mirror yours, I have high hopes for this recipe. My fav so far is the one by Scientifically Sweet, Christina Marsigliese (sp?) She holds degrees in food science and also gives tips. One hint of hers that has worked for me is to add 1 tsp of a syrup (honey, maple, corn) which holds moisture and is great for my other cookies that may dry out after a day or two. Thank you!

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  104. Like previous posters said, this recipe calls for waaaaay too much butter, and therefore it turns out too crunchy, not enough gooey. I think I'll go back to my previous recipe which called for shortening, these were just...meh. Edible I guess.

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  105. Yes!!!
    I always use block chocolate, though my method for breaking it up is slightly different; I dont warm it up first (Though I also dont keep it in the fridge)
    And when I am ready to cook, I put the required chocolate in a bag, and get the hammer and hit it!
    Its quite fun. Then I finish it off with a knife.

    Its just so fun.

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  106. Has anyone tried this recipe with an egg substitute? Just wondering what the result would be with various options as I need them to be egg-free. I know a friend of mine used the ground flax seed version of egg substitution with a different cookie and they were great, but I have yet to experiment myself.

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  107. Too much sugar for me. =( Have you ever try this recipe with less sugar?

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  108. Thank you so much for posting this! I used it as my base for making chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour, and it's my new go-to recipe! I posted the whole wheat version here: http://bakeordare.blogspot.com/2012/12/wholesome-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

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  109. These cookies look yummy. Melting chocolate is always a plus

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  110. Will most definitely have to try with the bread flour. They look too delicious to pass up! Thanks for sharing tips and pics.

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  111. Only did 1 lb of chocolate instead of 2, like the recipe called for. Also, did not turn out as pretty as the picture, maily because I used a hand mixer. However, THEY WERE DELICIOUS!

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  112. Awesome recipe and really helpful comments/photos. Made these the other day and they are incredible!!! They are now my favorite chocolate chip cookie too!!

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  113. Wow, this recipe looks really easy and the pictures of the cookies are amazing! Lot's of chocolate, yummie!

    Cheers, Baumit!!

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  114. Great photos. I made these, and they were excellent. they also looked just like the photos. I swapped half the chocolate for dark chocolate morsels. SO GOOD!

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  115. hi=)
    great recipe, but i have a question, what is pastry flour? im from norway and we havent got anything like that here;(

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  116. These look like the most amazing chocolate chip cookies ever!!! I made a large cookie "cake" yesterday and thought that was yummy .I will be getting back to you shortly ...I'm making these killers now! !!! YUMMM!!!

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  117. Great recipe!But i have a question:is it OK using cornstarch/ricestarch to replace the pastry flour?

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  118. Must try this recipe based on the picture alone.

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  119. so you freeze the dough...but then do you bake them from frozen dough or do you thaw dough?

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  120. BIG & SOFT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

    1 1/2 sticks margarine or unsalted butter
    2 cups +2 T unsifted, bleached all purpose flour
    1/2 t baking soda
    1/2 t salt
    1 cup brown sugar
    1/2 cup granulated sugar
    1 large egg + 1 yolk
    2 t vanilla
    1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

    PRE HEAT OVEN TO 325

    Melt butter and set aside to cool until lukewarm

    wisk flour, soda and salt. Do not sift. Set aside.

    Place both sugars in med. bowl

    Pour cooled butter into sugars. Mix.

    Add egg, yolk & vanilla into sugars. Mix until blended.

    Add flour mixture a small amount at a time. Mix until blended.

    Add chocolate chips. Mix until blended.

    Place parchment paper on cookie sheet. DO NOT USE WAX PAPER.

    Drop a large spoonful of batter onto sheet. ABOUT SIX PER SHEET.

    Bake about 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet.

    This will make 18-24 cookies.

    I always double (make 2 separate batches) then combine them.If you want more cookies just make them smaller. I use a melon baller.

    DO NOT OVER BAKE I make these often and they are a soft cookie.






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  121. Wow-these are some expensive cookies. Will def have to try.

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  122. used splenda granulated sugar and splenda brown sugar as i am diabetic ...they turned out pretty good...

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  123. I made these using AP flour & bread flour. They were great! Next time I will use less salt- maybe 1/2 TBSP. They were too salty for my taste. Be ready for cookie madness- they make A TON!!

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  124. Hello! If I have self rising cake and pastry flour (and I have bread flour) which has baking powder already, can I just omit the baking powder and just add in the soda? It's thr only kind I could find. Thank you!

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  125. How many cups in a pound of butter or is it a whole block or half a block I don't bake much I feel silly

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  126. I'm so used to baking choc chips with milk choc chips, always. Why do you choose to use bittersweet? Is it a choc preference? I am not a choc fan, but I go nuts for a choc chip cookie right out of the oven.

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  127. These are THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies. As a chef, there are only two things I would tweak. The cookie dough is fabulous all by itself so, I used less chocolate chips, I actually cut them in half, but if you love chocolate, you can leave it the way it is. Secondly, I wish there was a way to maintain the chewiness that is found once removed from the oven. If we have any leftover, we put them in ziploc bags and they stay a little chewy. But truly a fabulous recipe. I've baked these over and over again!

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  128. thanks. have tried it. but doesnt have pastry flour. so u just use AP flour. love it. important to bake it only a few minutes to make it chewy. and do put less sugar :) thanks for sharing. love it so much!

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  129. Is it possible to make this recipe a little less complicated for Aussie mums like me, teaching my kids to cook.
    There seems to be a lot of butter in it and also a lot of sugar. I would only like to make about 24 or so.

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  130. I cut this recipe in half and the salt content was WAY TOO HIGH. I browsed through the comment section (too late, in my case) and someone else had also commented on the amount of salt. I just chucked my first batch and a half because they cookies were too salty to eat. They looked delicious, but tasted absolutely awful!

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  131. I bet these are wonderful hot out of the oven. cant wait to try. thanks for the recipe

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  132. This seems like A LOT of SALT? Is 1 TABLESPOON correct, or should it be 1 Teaspoon???

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  133. Used AP flour and they turned out awesome! This is my new favorite cookie recipe.

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  134. I don't understand all the complaints because I followed the recipe almost perfectly (two exceptions, I was short on chocolate - holy cow that's a lot of chocolate, think I used closer to 1.5 lb but it was still a lot - would use 1.75 next time), and could only find whole wheat pastry flour. They turned out amazing and look identical to the picture. I used a standard ice cream scoop so my cookies are about 2-3 inches, have about 50, and each batch took about 17 min in my oven. I wonder how much different they would taste if I had found regular pastry flour - I went to 3 different stores and this was all I could find! Anyway, thanks for the recipe - I think the two flours and the hand chopped chocolate makes all the difference.

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  135. Hii... My sister and I recently made these cookies and followed the recipe to a T. We ended up making 150+ cookies. I don't know how this could have happened. They were delicious, but not so delicious that we want so many sitting around our house.

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  136. This is the only recipe I use for CCC. However, I omit the salt. Too much. And I half the recipe. It still makes about 2 dozen cookies. Must be refrigerated also.

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  137. These are so good. I've made them 3 times. I halved the recipe the last two times, used 4 oz bittersweet and 12 oz dark chocolate chips. I'm very sensitive to too much sodium in foods, but I found the 1/2 Tablespoon (halved recipe) was great. I actually added more last time bc the sweetness wasn't balanced by just 1/2 T. I also can't find pastry flour, so I used 1/2 bread flour and 1/2 all purpose. I follow the rest of the recipe exactly, and it's GREAT!!!

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  138. http://m.joyofbaking.com/ingredients/Flour.html

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  139. http://joythebaker.com/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

    If you only have APF look online for flour conversion.

    This recipe makes A LOT of dough. I too thought the salt was too much Buttttttt its actually PERFECT!!! Edges are slightly crispy and the center is soft. Really bakery quality.

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  140. I have tried several cookie recipe's and by far this is my favorite. I am in baking and pastry school and can't even make those well, but your recipe is the best. You get 100 from me! I made them today and they made my day a fantastic one. I didn't pave pastry flour but used half cake and half AP to make the pastry flour. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

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  141. I made this tonight and halved the recipe, substituting all purpose flour for the bread flour. Unfortunately I didn't half the salt :( The cookies were still a hit with friends and family, even with the salty tang! Next time I will triple check my measurements since I didn't care for the salty aftertaste. The consistency was perfect though - crunchy edges with a delightfully fluffy, chewy center!

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