Fantastic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe by  David Leite– New York Times Cooking Magazine

This recipe makes 18 five-inch cookies. We recommend you whip up a batch and freeze most of them so you can bake one or two whenever you need a mid-day sweet. If you’re like us, you might just bake the entire batch to share with your roommate, partner, or kiddos too! Dipping in milk is highly encouraged and, of course, a mug of coffee pairs perfectly too.

What You Need

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)
• 1 ⅔ cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 ¼ cups unsalted softened butter (2 1/2 sticks)
• 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar (10 ounces)
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ lb. bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (you can certainly use any chocolate chips/chunks you have on hand)
•  Sea salt

Notes

There is no denying the tried-and-true Toll House Cookie Recipe is a go-to for most, as it dates back to the 1930s. However, this may become your new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s a little more complicated and requires some advance planning: after assembling the dough, you must chill it for at least 24 hours before baking it and preferably up to 36. This allows the dry ingredients time to soak up the wet ones, resulting in a firmer dough. It also leads to a marvelously chewy, chocolate-rich, and extremely flavorful cookie. Don’t skimp on good chocolate, and the sea salt is not an option — it’s like a beacon at the top calling you to treat yourself to this gorgeous treat.

How To Make It

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a stand 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 and slowly add dry ingredients, mix 5-10 seconds or until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them gently without breaking them. Lay plastic wrap in the bowl on top of the dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto the 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. Transfer sheet 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. Try to eat just one…