Not your mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

UPDATE: I have tweaked the recipe to add more sugar. Click here for updated recipe. 

Big, fat chocolate chip cookies. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

When I first began this blog, I was on a hunt to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like them big and fat. Carol, from Carol’s Cookies, is my idol. She makes them just the way I like it. Problem is, no recipe out there can compete with hers. And you better believe she is tight lipped about her secrets.

Carol left me no choice but to figure this out the hard way. Trial and error, and lots of ‘em.

Enter Vanilla Sugar. I came across her blog the other day from Tastespotting. As I was scrolling through, I found cookies that look like the closest thing I’ve seen to Carol’s Cookies. Big, fat chocolate chip cookies. Funny thing is—she’s trying to reproduce her favorite cookie as well, only it’s from a different bakery, Levain Bakery in NYC. I made the recipe Friday night. They were close, but they weren’t Carol’s. (Now keep in mind, we are trying to reproduce two different cookies.) Carol’s Cookies are sweeter and not as doughy tasting. So I slept on it. I woke up. Read a thread about how to reproduce Carol’s Cookies. (Looks like I’m not alone in this endeavor.) Then, I made a POA (plan of action)!

POA—try Vanilla Sugar’s recipe again with some slight tweaks. More sugar. Regular butter instead of European butter*, although I love European butter. But, same technique. Speaking of technique, these are not your mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Throw everything you know about making chocolate chip cookies out the door. Let your butter come to room temp, forget about it. Cream your butter and sugar together until pale in color, think again. Preheat oven to 350° or 375°, not this time.

 

Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe adapted from Vanilla Sugar

8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter*, chilled
1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. AP flour
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
12 ounces (2 c.) good quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. crushed walnuts (optional)

1. Using a grater, grate chilled butter into a large bowl. Make sure to scrape out butter left on grater. If butter is too warm, stick it in the freezer for 5 minutes.
2. Add sugars to the butter. Using a mixer, mix until just combined. Do not over beat.
3. Add vanilla and eggs, and mix until just combined. Again, do not over beat.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and mix until just combined. Dough will look crumbly. You are right on track.
6. Stir in chocolate and crushed walnuts (optional).
7. Take off your rings—you’re gonna need your hands for this. Gather dough into a large ball, as you would if you were making a snow ball. Place on pan lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.
8. Preheat oven to 365°. Meanwhile, place cookies in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
9. Bake cookies for 18 minutes or until slightly browned around edges. Cookies will still be doughy in the middle.
10. Allow to cool completely before eating. The doughy center will stiffen up a bit.

*Note: In the pictures, I used European butter. However, I used regular butter the first time I made the recipe and the cookies held their shape much butter better. Therefore, I made the executive decision to go with regular butter in the recipe. A little tid-bit for you: according to Sunset Magazine, too low-fat butter (aka margarine) or too high-fat butter (aka European butter) can cause spreading. Go regular or go home.

Here’s the visual recipe.

Have I arrived? I don’t know. But I feel a lot closer than I did last week.