New York Times Chocolate Chips Cookies {from Jacques Torres}
These are possibly my new favorite chocolate chip cookies. I say possibly because with chocolate chip cookies, it's hard to pick a favorite and stick with it forever, but these will be hard to beat. The cookies are unique in that both bread flour and cake flour are used in the dough; the bread flour gives incredible chewiness and the cake flour keeps them light. *Note that the dough must be chilled for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours, before baking the cookies. Although the active work time with these cookies is no more any other chocolate chip cookie recipe, be sure to budget in for the waiting period - they're worth the wait. They're also jumbo, big bakery-style cookies, just like you'd find at your favorite coffee shop with extra chewy edges and soft centers.
sea saltfor sprinkling over cookie dough prior to baking
Instructions
Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt into a large bowl; set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds (I did about 20 to 30 seconds). Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough (or place dough in an airtight container) and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours (I baked mine just shy of two days later, at 44 hours)
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. (I baked first batch of 6 cookies for 18 minutes, and baked second batch of 4 cookies for 16 1/2 minutes; I prefer the 16 1/2 minute cookies). Transfer baking mat or parchment paper to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.
Recipe from the New York Times, adapted from Jacques Torres
Notes
I made a half-batch of what is written above and this was plenty. Although the full batch 'only' yields 18 cookies, they are jumbo cookies and 9 jumbo cookies was all we needed at one time before they would go stale. The pre-baked dough or finished cookies will likely freeze as well as other types of dough or cookies if you prefer to make the full batch.I highly recommend using a digital food scale for this recipe. Because bread flour is so heavy and dense, compared to light and airy cake flour, measuring by volume in measuring cups, i.e. '1 cup flour' can yield very inconsistent results; whereas measuring by weight on a scale is absolute. The scale also made halving the recipe a breeze; halving round numbers in ounces is much easier than trying to halve fractions. The cookies need to be baked in 3.5-ounce balls and there is no way I could have guessed this accurately without using scale.Although the recipe calls for specialty chocolate, the Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips I used were more than fine. I did not include a sea salt sprinkle.I baked the cookies one tray at a time because I have one 'perfect' shelf in my oven and wanted to use just that shelf. I baked the first batch of 6 cookies (all cookies were 3.5 ounces) for 18 minutes, and baked the second batch of 4 cookies (3 cookies were 3.5 ounces and 1 cookie was 2.5 ounces) for 16 1/2 minutes. I prefer the 16 1/2 minute cookies and in my oven, 20 minutes would have ruined the cookies. At 18 minutes, the edges were browned and the tops were on the glossy and opaque side; at 16.5 minutes the edges were slightly less browned and the tops were more glossy but still set. With cookies, if you wait to pull them until they look done, most times as they cool, they will set up too hard.