Thursday, April 23, 2015

Larissa's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I learned today that a picture really is worth 1,000 words.  All I did was post a photo of some cookies I baked for a friend and - *BAM* - dozens of requests for a recipe.  They do look amazing, right?  I promise they taste even better!



Ingredients
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 sticks room temperature butter (aka softened, not melted)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp. almond extract
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 cup flour (or just do 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 regular flour)
  • 1/3 bag Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips or Trader Joe's Chocolate Chips
  • 1/3 bag Trader Joe's Chocolate Chunks
  • 1/3 bag Nestle Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (the only time I ever use Nestle, as I don't prefer their chocolate)


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Combine sugars and butter until integrated/fluffy (too much mixing will melt the butter = bad)
  • Mix in extracts, soda, powder, salt, and eggs (again, do not mix too much)
  • Mix in bread flour until just integrated
  • Mix in flour until just integrated (the dough may seem as if it is not going to stick together, but it will once you knead)
  • Knead in chocolate chips with freshly washed hands
  • Refrigerate dough for at least* an hour.  I prefer to let it set overnight, which is why I love this recipe- you can whip it together right before bed in ten minutes, then bake the next day (or three days later!).
  • Roll dough into balls - I usually do about a 50-cent piece size just slightly smaller than a golf ball, but it works for larger sizes too
*I promise you if you don't let these set/chill, they will turn out very flat and crispy, which is not at all what you want.

Baking/Post-Baking
  • Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Some ovens may take 11.  You want them to only have the lightest of brown on the higher points of the cookies.
  • Let cookies develop on sheet for two or three minutes.
  • Use spatula to remove and place on whatever surface you use for cooling - I use a sheet of wax paper or tin foil.  Nothing fancy.
  • The cookies may seem to be gooey or more likely to fall apart, but they will solidify upon cooling.