These are seriously the best damn chocolate chip cookies ever. At least the best ones I’ve ever tasted. They are thin, yet chewy — almost caramelized in consistency. You seriously can’t eat just one. In fact, we’ve made these about three times in the last couple of weeks — I keep meaning to give some to a friend who has been kind enough to bring Lillian home from her evening CCD class — but we keep eating them all before I can give any away! They’re that good.
The recipe is closely based on a famous recipe published in The New York Times. The chef developed the unorthodox method of repeatedly banging the cookie sheet on the oven rack during baking. It sounds and feels completely bizarre but I’m telling you, the woman is a genius. All of that banging results in a thin, slightly ridged texture and ultra chewy consistency that makes these cookies magical. However, her recipe makes absolutely enormous cookies. Too big for the kiddos (though I doubt they’d agree). As it happens, it turns out my preference is for a higher ration of brown sugar to granulated sugar and thus a slightly darker color in my cookies. I’ve also added walnuts. Because, in my opinion, chocolate chip cookies deserve some walnuts. So I made a few adjustments. And they’re pretty amazing.
These are an ideal three-bite cookie. Perfect for snacking and sharing with friends (if you can restrain your family from eating them all). With the holidays fast approaching, we’re about to be bombarded with a zillion holiday-themed cookies. Sugar and spice and everything nice. But these cookies beat them all. When Santa makes his way down our chimney, I suspect he’ll smile when he bites into one of these chocolate wonders. They’re extra nice.
The Best Damn Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
These are seriously the best damn chocolate chip cookies ever. Thin, yet chewy — almost caramelized in consistency. You can’t eat just one!
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chopped into small pieces and bits
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and both sugars with the beater attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and mix on low until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until combined. And the chocolate and walnuts and mix on low until blended.
- Scoop dough by scant tablespoons (seriously, no larger than a tablespoon as the cookies will spread) and form into balls. Place 8 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared cookie sheet and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Transfer chilled baking sheet to the center rack of the oven and bake cookies for 5 minutes. After five minutes, lift the baking sheet slightly off of the oven rack and bang it down hard a few times until cookies have fallen flat on the cookie sheet. Continue baking for 2 more minutes then repeat the banging method. Bake cookies for one more minute (a total of 8 minutes baking time) or until the edges are brown but the centers of the cookies are just barely set.
- Remove cooke sheet from oven and allow to sit for 1 minute before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Repeat process with remaining dough (two more batches of cookies).
