Recipes
How to make the best-ever chocolate chip cookies
Nestlé Tollhouse has been lying to us. 🍪🤫
Jessica Adler
09.25.20

People have been battling it out about what constitutes the perfect chocolate chip cookie for years now- 82 of them, to be exact.

While the first chocolate chip cookies were created by two American chefs back in 1938, people have been adding, detracting, and fiddling with the recipe ever since, and not all are created equal.

Fortunately, the nifty folks over at Tasty have been working hard to find out just what does make the perfect chocolate chip cookie, and they’ve finally got it nailed.

Youtube screenshot/Tasty
Source:
Youtube screenshot/Tasty

In a video they released on YouTube, BuzzFeed test-bakers slaved away at experimenting with the basics first, such as sticking to one type of sugar, flour, butter, etc., and then moved onto testing out varying combinations of ingredients to find what truly makes a cooki pop.

And what they’ve found is that a good cookie takes a fine-tuned blend of tasty ingredients.

Flickr/David Blaine
Source:
Flickr/David Blaine

Those ingredients include:

  • 1 cup of bread flour
  • 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
  • 2 Tablespoons of water at room temp.
  • 1 cup of dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 a cup of white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of espresso powder
  • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 5 oz. of chopped dark chocolate
Youtube screenshot/Tasty
Source:
Youtube screenshot/Tasty

As it turns out, the method is just as important as the ingredients themselves.

As you may have noticed, there are a couple of key features involved with making the ultimate chocolate chip cookie. Namely, espresso powder and the extra dark chocolate chunks.

Believe it or not, though, the combination of these two things alone gives these cookies and added depth of flavor that produces a real WOW-factor. But that isn’t the only thing that sets these indulgent cookies apart.

Flickr/Joy
Source:
Flickr/Joy

This recipe calls for a little extra step that’s all too easy and oh so worth it- browned butter.

All you have to do is melt the butter over medium-low heat and bring it to a light boil for a few minutes. Continuously stir the butter as it boils to break up the fat solids and keep it from burning.

As you see the butter turn from golden to a toasty, dark nutty color, remove it from the heat and pour it into a measuring cup to let it begin to cool. After 2-3 minutes, pour in a small amount of water until the butter comes up to exactly 8 oz. Allow it to cool off to room temp.

After you brown your butter and chop your chocolate, you can get on with baking your perfect chocolate chip cookies.

Needpix
Source:
Needpix

From here on out, the process is pretty simple.

Step 1- Sift

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Sift both types of flour together with the salt and baking soda over a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Step 2- mix

I a large mixing bowl, add both of the sugars, the espresso powder, the browned butter (make sure it’s at room temp), and the vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to cream the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy. This should take roughly 1-2 minutes.

Add in the egg and egg yolk and beat until it’s thoroughly mixed together.

Youtube screenshot/Tasty
Source:
Youtube screenshot/Tasty

Step 3- add the dry ingredients

Gradually add in the dry ingredients, working in 1/3 of the mixture at a time to avoid a mess. Beat until they are just mixed, then repeat until the dry ingredients are all mixed in.

Step 4- fold in the goods

Use a wooden spoon to fold in the chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks. Then, scoop out 3 tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you don’t eat the raw dough, this recipe should make about 18 cookies.

If you want to take them to the next level, you can refrigerate for 24 hours. If you can’t make it that long, don’t worry- it will still be the best cookie you’ve ever had.

Youtube screenshot/Tasty
Source:
Youtube screenshot/Tasty

Step 4- bake

Spread the cookie mounds to at least 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Then, pop them in the preheated oven and bake for between 12-14 minutes, depending on your oven.

When the time’s up, pull them out and let them cool on the baking sheet for two or three minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool off completely.

Youtube screenshot/Tasty
Source:
Youtube screenshot/Tasty

Trust us- you will never make chocolate chip cookies another way again!

Get the full step-by-step tutorial, plus the low-down of how they mastered this recipe, in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Article Sources:
To learn more read our Editorial Standards.
Advertisement