Chocolate Chip Cookies are sacred to me. I absolutely love them, and have sampled all different kinds, over and over. But truth be told, I have never found the right recipe to make them just the way I like them. Which is to say, flat and crisp, with a slightly chewy center. Sounds easy, right? Not so much, not for me anyway. I can't tell you how many batches of cookies I have made that are thick, cake-y and just not right. In fact, it's always been so disappointing to me that I pretty much stopped making them all together. Also, I do not like too many things in my chocolate chip cookies - nuts are fine sometimes, but I feel that with many of the bakery ones, there is way too much "stuff" crowded in there, and you can never taste the cookie.
Well, I was having a real craving for them the other night, so I pulled out my trusty Martha Stewart's Cookies book, and decided to try her recipe for "Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies". They looked and sounded right, and I had this nice bag of Guittard chocolate chips just begging to be used, so once the butter softened, it was cookie time.
I am pleased to report that they were perfect! And now I know why - there is more butter and sugar and less flour than in a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, so it changes the consistency. Such a simple thing, but I am so glad to finally have a good recipe in my repertoire, that I just had to share.
One thing, if you make cookies, even just occasionally, it is well worth it to invest in a cookie scoop. Makes the cookies uniform size and with that nice professional looking roundness, and it's a lot less messy than using a spoon. This is my 1 T. size - I also have a 2 T. size that works for big cookies and cupcake batter. Those tools, a KitchenAid stand mixer, and parchment paper (or Silpat sheets), are a baker's best friends.
Thin & Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 2 1/4 C. all purpose flour
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1 1/4 C. (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
- 3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
- 1 t. coarse salt
- 2 t. pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 C. water
- 2 C. semisweet chocolate chips (about 12 oz.)
Whisk flour and baking soda in a bowl
Put butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; mix on medium until pale and fluffy, about 3 min
Reduce speed to low. Add salt, vanilla, eggs, and water; mix until combined, about 1 min
Add flour mixture; mix until just combined
Stir in chocolate chips
Drop heaping tablespoon size balls of dough about 2 in apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper
Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown, about 20-25 min
Let cool on baking sheets on wire racks 1-2 min
Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely
