Last year I thought I had found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. It was the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. But the more I made it, the more I realized it was good, but that there had to be better recipes and cookies out there. I wanted something with a deeper flavor, and that turned out both crispier and chewier. It must have a very slight caramelized taste, and you must be able to taste the salt, subtly.
I decided to try Alton Brown’s Chocolate Chip Cookie #10. I actually wanted to try his Chocolate Chip Cookie #7, but we didn’t have any bread flour.
So I set out with #10, and was very pleased with the results. The cookies were the best tasting chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. The flavor was excellent, and the cookie was somehow both extremely crispy and very chewy. I’ll definitely make these again. I also appreciate the fact that all the ingredients are very common, nothing you really have to go out of your way to buy (unlike the Bread Flour recipe… I don’t usually bake with that).
Here’s the thing – there’s no such thing as a perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Everyone has a different idea of what a perfect chocolate chip cookie is and should be. Sometimes it’s based on a grandma’s cookie they had as a child, some people like them really doughy, or extra chocolaty. It’s a matter of preference. You must find your personal perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. Luckily, the search is quite tasty.
My personal standard is the absolutely amazing chocolate chip cookie that you could once buy at T. E. Merch’s cafes – a small chain of sandwich shops in southwest Michigan that is sadly gone now. My mom and I used to stop in and get some during our shopping trips in Portage. How I long for those cookies. I wish I had the recipe. Every year or so I google “t. e. merch’s chocolate chip cookie” and similar derivatives, in hopes of finding the recipe posted online. It’s been a fruitless search so far.
These cookies though, come very close. They are fantastic. If you ever need to be comforted, whip up a batch of these right away and while they’re baking, pour a large glass of milk. Then sit down in a comfy chair with a plate of still warm cookies, set the milk down on a nearby window ledge, open your favorite book, and prepare to be transported straight into a very Happy Place.
The Recipe*: (I found it posted online on this great blog, so I didn’t have to retype)
Chocolate Chip Cookie #10 from I’m Just Here for More Food (Alton Brown)
Mix and set aside:
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Now mix together the wet ingredients:
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Now add the dry to the wet and mix gently with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix!! While there is still some flour showing, add 2 c. chocolate chips and mix the rest of the way.
Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden at 375. Turn the trays in the oven about halfway through for even baking & browning.
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I did actually buy bread flour at the A&P this week, so today I’m going to try the Chocolate Chip Cookie #7. I’ll post the recipe and results, and let you know which one is better. :)
*Ryan would like me to note that the bite in the photo above is courtesy of him. He was not pleased when I took his cookie away off his plate after he took a photogenic bite, but was less upset when I brought the plate back a few minutes later with a cookie refill.
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