Chocolate Chip Cookies

Description:

The chocolate chip cookie is one of, if not the most, well-known American desserts out there. These cookies are traditionally consumed alongside a glass of milk, and come in many different varieties. The origin of these cookies traces back to the early 20th century, with the first written mention of them appearing in a 1928 newspaper ad. The individual accredited with inventing these cookies, who more truthfully was responsible for popularizing them, was Ruth Wakefield. With her husband, she ran the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts during the Great Depression. Wakefield first published her recipe in her 1938 cookbook “Tried and True”, and the recipe eventually became so popular that Nestle bought the rights to her cookie recipe and the Toll House name in 1939. Chocolate chip cookies are most often made with chocolate chips, as you could imagine, but they are also made with chopped up pieces of a chocolate bar. The recipe below is the latter kind, which actually calls back to how the very original chocolate chip cookies were made.

Ingredients:

(Makes 12 Cookies)

• 1 cup flour (120 g)

• 8 tbsp butter at room temperature (114 g)

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tsp baking soda (3 g)

• 1/2 tsp salt (3 g)

• 1/4 cup +1 tbsp dark brown sugar (58 g)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 4 oz dark chocolate (114 g)

Preparation:

Using a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl. Cream together the ingredients on high speed, about 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Chop up the chocolate into smaller pieces (they do not need to be even in size).

Add the egg and vanilla to the creamed butter and mix for another minute until smooth. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture until evenly incorporated in the dough. Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Transfer cookie dough to a container and rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (160 C). Spoon out dough onto a parchment-lined baking tray. You should have 12 dough balls. Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are golden brown and the center is still slightly soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Use a spatula to retrieve cookies and enjoy immediately or store for several days.

Notes:

• A popular trend in recent times has been to top the cookies with flaky sea salt immediately after baking.

• You can use chocolate chips instead of chopping the chocolate yourself.

• Feel free to substitute the dark chocolate with milk chocolate, or use a mix of both.