I love cookies. If I’m at Whole Foods or Pusateri’s chances are I’m buying a cookie. One of my favourite and easily accessible cookies is the White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut cookie from Subway, I could eat those ALL THE TIME.
I also enjoy making cookies. Problem is, my cookies don’t usually come out looking like store-bought cookies. They taste good but aren’t that pretty. The other day I was craving cookies and was going to make cookies using the NY Times chocolate chip cookie recipe that was popular a year or so ago. Problem is, you need 24 to 36 hours. That was not going to work with my cookie-needing schedule. I had a vague memory of seeing a cookie recipe in Cooks Illustrated and decided to go that route.
What I love about Cooks Illustrated is that they take you through the science of how they developed a particular recipe. They give you insight into the recipe testing process which is super cool. Generally the recipes are pretty good so I was excited to try the chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this recipe is that you melt the butter before combining it with the sugar. Not only do you melt the butter but you also brown it. Yes, brown butter chocolate chip cookies! You then add the sugar to the melted butter which makes creamy it so much easier. Unfortunately the recipe doesn’t require a stand mixer. Yes, the cleanup is easy but I love any excuse to use my stand mixer!
The cookies were fantastic! The brown butter added a really great nuttiness to the cookies. The only downside is that I found the cookies a touch too sweet, but I don’t like really sweet desserts generally. I would also like to point out that the cookies actually look great (if I do say so myself!). This recipe is definitely a winner.
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter 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 for 3 minutes, then whish for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.
(Cook’s Illustrated May/June 2009)
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Brown butter smells so delicious that when I’m using it, it often doesn’t even make it to the mixing bowl!! My favourite cookies are white chocolate macadamia nuts I used to get at my high school cafeteria…the old ladies would always warm them up to perfection for us!! Mmm mm…I think they sell a decent equivalent at Costco!
I just got hooked on the Jacques Torres cookie recipe, but I agree that the wait to use the dough is not working well with my need for instant gratification!
My cookies always come out too done, I think I have to try taking them out when they don’t look done, and just trusting that they are.
I thought my cookies weren’t done but they were PERFECT. Resist the urge to overbake.
Haha…I made 50 cookies last night so this made me smile =)
I find that putting the dough in the fridge really helps keep the shape and consistency that you want.
My cookies were pretty crazy last night – M&Ms, pretzels, dark chocolate chips, Reese’s Pieces….Mmmm…cookies are so fun! I always pull mine out JUST before they look exactly how I want them to be. I think that I will the butter technique – sounds promising.
[…] delicious. Recently, with some careful research, I’ve made some pretty good looking cookies like these ones which made me […]
Mmmm looks great!! By far the best tip I’ve learned over the years on how to make cookies look ‘prettier’ is to add a few carefully placed chocolate chips (or other key ingredient) to the tops of the cookie dough balls before putting in the oven. Then you have the chocolate chips inside the cooking tasting great, and the chips on top looking great.