Chocolate Chip Cookie 101
What makes a chocolate chip cookie perfect? Is it the golden edges or the gooey center? Maybe it’s the chocolate or the sprinkle of sea salt on top. Well, the beauty is, that perfection is in the taste buds of the eater.
Making a chocolate chip cookie is not about replicating a perfect cookie… It’s about making your perfect cookie.
The magic begins with the famous fours: butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.
Butter: The debate between softened and melted butter is still ongoing in the baking community, but the temperature of your butter can dramatically affect your cookies’ texture. Softened butter will give you a nice, chewy middle, while melted butter tends to lead to a denser cookie.
Sugar: A mix of granulated and brown sugar not only adds sweetness but also depth and chewiness, thanks to the molasses in the brown sugar—try it out!
Eggs: They bind the dough together, adding moisture and helping to create chewiness!
Flour: The choice between all-purpose and bread flour can make your cookies either tender or chewy, depending on the gluten content, try a couple of different batches.
By altering these key ingredients, you can manipulate the outcome of your cookies. Want them chewier? Add more brown sugar. Love a cakey texture? Maybe add an extra egg. The possibilities are endless, use the kitchen like a laboratory.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the chocolate chip cookie was a serendipitous creation? Ruth Wakefield, while working at the Toll House Inn, ran out of baker’s chocolate and decided to chop up some Nestle chocolate, thinking it would melt and mix into the batter. It didn’t, and thus the chocolate chip cookie was born. She later exchanged the recipe with Nestle for a lifetime supply of chocolate chips. That’s a pretty sweet deal!
Making chocolate chip cookies is a straightforward process that anyone can follow. Cream together your butter and sugars, add in the eggs and vanilla for flavor, then gently mix in your dry ingredients. The key to exceptional cookies lies in not overmixing once you’ve added the flour, to avoid developing too much gluten.
Here’s an ingredient list from RecipeKick Pastry Chef Katie Rosenhouse:
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 2/3 cup all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips, chunks, or anything you love
Flaky sea salt for garnishing
Don’t forget the chocolate chips—and maybe a sprinkle of sea salt on top for that perfect sweet-salty balance. Bake until just golden around the edges but still soft in the middle (whatever you want), and voila! You’ve got yourself a batch of cookies that could rival any bakery.
For full instructions check out Chef Katie’s class on the chocolate chip cookie!
In the end, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is the one that brings you joy. Experiment with your ingredients, don’t fear a few mishaps, and most importantly, share your creations with friends and family (or keep them all to yourself; we won’t judge). Happy baking!
