Leave it to the New York Times. For years thousands of bakers have started a seemingly  endless quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie and then one day the New York Times comes along and tells us all what it is. Well, I suppose the New York Times is a newspaper and finding the secret to making the most delicious rendition of this beloved cookie is news…But, isn’t this whole perfect chocolate chip cookie quest a matter of opinion?

It’s just funny. As a food blogger I’ve read thousands of blog posts about chocolate chip cookies; they all swear on their life that their cookies are better than the rest. We at Chew on That have even written our share of chocolate chip cookie posts professing my own love for the recipes at hand. But never, never in my life have I seen one chocolate chip cookie recipe sweep this nation of food blogs like the now famous chocolate chip cookie recipe from the New York Times.

Now I know this chocolate chip cookie recipe was released last July, but the point is it has been almost an entire year now and people are STILL obsessed with this cookie recipe. The ordinary recipe on New York Times might be written about for a couple months or so but this cookie recipe has been made in countless kitchens by countless food bloggers  and has made countless taste buds very happy for almost a year now.

It calls for sea salt and special chocolate disks with a certain percentage of cacao. When I first read the recipe last year, these fancy ingredients rubbed me the wrong way. Why would I want to go out and buy fancy ingredients for what is supposed to be a very down to Earth kind of cookie? Not to mention, where can I find chocolate disks (as opposed to chocolate chips) in Chicago?

But, this recent post on Chocolate and Zucchini really cemented the wonder of this recipe for me. For goodness sake, even Clotilde in Paris is making these cookies! So maybe it’s time I gave in.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is famous for being the perfect chocolate chip cookie!
Ingredients

2 C. minus 2 Tbs. (8 1/2 oz.) cake flour
1 2/3 C. (8 1/2 oz.) bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 C.) unsalted butter
1 1/4 C. (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 C. plus 2 Tbs. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 lb. bittersweet chocolate disks ( at least 60 percent cacao content)
sea salt
Directions

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

From the New York Times, adapted by Jacques Torres.

More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Picnic Chocolate Chip Cookies
Super Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tags: chocolate chip cookie recipes, chocolate chip cookies, Mark Bittman, new york times, new york times chocolate chip cookies, new york times recipes

Posted by Hillary, 2:53 PM

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