It seems so trivial, yet as a foodie and baker developing The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie was a high priority. Why other things did not fall on the list, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll try a brownie next. Some might call it the absolute best chocolate chip cookie or the perfect chocolate chip cookie, but I like to consider it the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie you’ll ever eat. Developing it was not only a goal, but it also became a mission! And you know what? I arrived.
This cookie was developed with 4 major secrets
- using white and brown sugar
- whipping together the butter and the sugars
- bread flour
- resting time in the refrigerator
Now that my cookie making secrets are not so secret, let’s jump into the recipe. You can skip to the bottom but if you want the story behind the cookie, keep reading!
So, we’ve been on this journey together to discover the perfect chocolate chip cookie and since today is National Cookie Day, it only seems fitting to be the day the official #cookiequest recipe is shared. You know the fanfare and the process that has gone into finding this! (If not, start here, I was part of a mini-book club and we challenged each other to take on a quest. Some were life-altering, some involved learning a new skill, some involved research and a back story, mine included all of that… I wanted to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe; a signature dish of sorts.)
Remember, perfection is defined by the “eater”, “user”, “subscriber”. For me, this is perfection. It’s chewy, it’s soft, as Goldilocks would say… “it’s just right.”
And, I guess if you don’t believe me, you’ll just have to invite me to a party and ask me to bring cookies! So, without further adieu, I introduce you to …
The Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie (as in the best one you’ll ever eat!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup one stick butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups bread flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Soften the butter to room temperature, in anticipation of making the cookies later in the same day.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Beat until sugar and butter are mixed.
- Raise speed to medium and beat until the mixture is fluffy and lighter in color.
- Beat in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down edges of the bowl.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add to the mixer on slow speed in sections, fully mixing ingredients between each addition.
- Hand stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Chill dough for 24 hours before baking for best results.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to return to room temperature.
- Use a cookie scoop or small ice cream scoop to place cookies on a cookie sheet or baking stone.
- Cookies should be 1-2 inches apart to allow them to expand when baked.
- Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread cookie before baking.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.
- Let cool on the baking sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container if you don’t eat them all first!
What about you? Do you have a favorite recipe you make? Or, would you like to challenge me with your favorite chocolate chip cooke recipe? My husband would suggest I make these as big as an ice cream scoop.
Huzzah! Now you'll be asked to bake cookies for every Christmas party this year. 🙂
Thankfully I have a freezer stored up from the experimenting. Pretty sure I need to hit an after Christmas choc chip sale!
That was so quick! Wow! We need a NWARK Quester Celebration – with COOKIES!
I agree. I was ready to do more tweaking but 10 out of 11 testers said it was it. So I went with it! But I do have more sugar and flour so there is always room for improvement.
Looks delicious to me. Now I want to bake some cookies on this snowy day. Thanks for the recipe!