The infamous chocolate chip cookie was born in 1937 at the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts. Ruth Wakefield ran out of baking chocolate to make her usual cookies, so she broke up a chocolate bar and used it to make the cookies, thinking the pieces would mix in with the dough while in the oven. Needless to say, the cookies didn't turn out as planned - but when Wakefield served them, the recipe was a huge success. The rest, of course, is history.Here is a recipe for the best chocolate cookies.
(makes 18 3-inch cookies)
Ingredients
1 stick (4 ounces) salted butter, at room temperature
3/8 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/8 cup white (granulated) sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (6 ounces) large semi-sweet chocolate chips
TIP: Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of shredded baking coconut in step 6. You won't be able to taste the coconut at all, but it'll keep the chocolate chips extra moist for much longer.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Use a mixer to cream the butter, sugars (both), and vanilla together at high speed. The mixture should be smooth and light; this should take several (at least 5-7) minutes.
- Crack the egg into the mixing bowl and mix it in.
- In another (smaller) bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Use a whisk to ensure removal of clumps of any ingredient.
- Slowly add this dry mixture to the first one, and beat on low speed until the mixture is just blended. Be sure not to over-mix.
- With a rubber spatula, blend in the chocolate chips and, if desired, 1/2 cup walnuts, broken in small pieces (Personally, I think the cookies are better with just the chocolate chips, but some nut aficionados may like the walnuts).
- Drop the cookies in rows onto the cookie tray (preferably covered with parchment paper, but if not, generously greased with butter). Space the cookies out evenly, and create windows in alternate rows to save space and allow for spreading. It's handy to have a small bowl with a tiny amount of vegetable oil or water in which to occasionally dip your spoons or fingers (I like to use my fingers). Don't worry about making the cookies into perfect circles, because with this recipe they will even out in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies start to look brown (don't wait until the cookies are fully brown, because the cookies will be very crisp and slightly hard in a couple days - always take out cookies sooner rather than later).
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie tray for at least 5 minutes, until they set well. If you're using parchment paper, simply slide the sheet onto a hard counter top and allow the cookies to cool completely (or, if you're not doing another batch, then let the cookies remain as is out of the oven). If using a greased metal tray, then be sure to transfer the cookies to cooling racks.
- Store the cookies in a closed container (preferably not with a plastic lid, because the smell will permeate into the cookies, especially if they're still warm... yuck). Be sure to eat one or two cookies before storing them away - or serve them fresh - because they taste absolutely delicious right out of the oven.
photocredit: amazon.com
