The chocolate chip cookie. Few things are as perfect as a warm chocolate chip cookie.
On my unexpected day off last week I decided to make not one, but two different batches of chocolate chip cookies. My friend Cyndi has been talking about this new cookie recipe that she has found on the blog Stephmodo that will be her standard recipe from here on out. Last summer, I had made the “Perfect chocolate chip cookie” recipe according to Cook’s Illustrated.
Knowing that there were two conflicting “Best cookie ever” recipes – well, it seemed practical to make both of them and do some taste testing of my own and among my friends and family.
The recipes:
Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temp if possible)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (feel free to throw in the whole bag if you like them super chocolate-y)
Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until creamy. Add the vanilla.
In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together before slowly adding them to the creamed mixture. When combined, stop the mixer and add the semi-sweet chips. Mix up and then drop by the teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Mold them into a ball as best as you can with the spoon for a more shaped cookie.
Bake on 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, photos by me
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie – Cook’s Illustrated
1 3/4 cup ubleached flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used the whole bag – I like a lot of chocolate chips)
Heat oven to 375
Whisk together flour and baking soda
Heat 10 tablespoons of butter in skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking, swirling constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 – 3 minutes. Remove skillet and pour into mixing bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into the hot butter and stir until completely melted.
Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat that process two more times. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon stir in flour mixture until just combines. Stir in chocolate chips giving dough final stir.
Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons. Arrange 2 inches apart. Bake 10 – 14 minutes, until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, edges are beginning to set, but centers are still soft. Cool. Eat. Enjoy!
I made both recipes. The biggest differences are the butter (one uses melted and browned butter, while the other is the more traditional softened butter), amounts of flour and size of cookie. Also, the mixing method for the Cook’s Illustrated cookie is different, requiring it to be mixed and then rest over a period of 10 minutes. The difference in the baked cookie is that the Stephmodo recipe is softer overall, while the Cook’s Illustrated cookie has a crisp edge, but a very soft and much chewier interior.
Once the cookies were done baking and cooling, I prepared the samples to be given away. I labeled bags or containers with A (Cook’s Illustrated cookie) and B (Stephmodo cookie). My test subjects included:
My grandparents
My friend Matt King and his wife Erin
three co-workers, 1 female, two men, if you think the male/female perspective is important
The results:
My grandparents were split; Grandpa liked B, Grandma liked A. Grandma may have just wanted to be fair and give both cookies a vote.
Matt and Erin both went B.
Two co-workers went A, one went B
It’s fairly split down the middle. Clearly indicating there is no bad chocolate chip cookie.
My own opinion? I’m with the Cook’s Illustrated version. The complexities of flavor that you get from the browned butter are subtle and amazing. It’s toffee like, caramel like and brings layers of flavor not found in other cookie recipes.
