New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been crazy MIA thanks to grad school (combo of teaching plus research equals no free time). This amazing cookie recipe needed to be shared though! There are a few essential steps to making these cookies. First things first get some patience.

You need to refrigerate the dough for 36 hours before you bake them. I know this seems pretty impossible but SOOOOO worth it. Although, I’ll probably always use this recipe for chocolate chip cookies whether or not I wait the full time. They’re just that good. 

Here are the crucial steps:
Step 1: Do not substitute all-purpose flour. You MUST use both the cake and bread flours. You can find cake flour pretty easily at most grocery stores. I used King Arthur Flour Company bread flour. 

Step 2: The chilling I already mentioned. Super key! 24 hours is the minimum, but you should really wait till 36 hours.

Step 3: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

Step 4: Make big cookies! I measured out 160g of cookie dough for each cookie (that’s about 1/3 cup or golf-ball size). This ensures they’re perfectly gooey and chewy.

Step 5: Use the best chocolate you can find. Do not use Nestle Toll House or a grocery store brand. You can use Ghirardelli, Valrhona, or Jacques Torres. I used Guittard and Valrhona. Also make sure you use 60% cacao chips or chunks (I used a mixture).

Step 6: Sprinkle salt before you bake the cookies. Do not use plain ol' table salt; use flaked sea salt.

Step 7: Err on the side of caution when baking the cookies. Don’t bake them too long or else they’ll be overdone and not gooey in the middle. They will still bake a couple minutes on the cookie sheet. Much better to have them underdone than overdone!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
makes about 30 cookies

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp (8 1/2 oz) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 oz) bread flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp coarse salt
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar (I actually used dark brown)
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp (8 oz.) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks (60% cacao content)
Flaked sea salt or kosher salt for garnishing

Whisk the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl then set the mixture aside.

Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until they’re very light and fluffy. This takes about 4 to 5 minutes. One at a time, add the eggs, mixing well after each egg. Now mix in the vanilla, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix again for a few seconds to make sure it’s all mixed well.

Reduce the mixer speed to low then add in the flour mixture a little bit at a time. This will ensure you don’t get a cloud of flour in your kitchen. Lastly mix in the chocolate. You can keep the dough in your stand mixer bowl or transfer it to a different bowl. Press plastic wrap tightly against the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator and allow it to soften just a little bit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream/cookie dough scoop or normal spoons, scoop 12 mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Remember you want about 1/3 cup dough per cookie. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, which is about 15 minutes. Definitely check on them around 14-15 minutes. You don't want to overbake remember! Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool more.

Adapted from Jacques Torres