The Chocolate Chip Epiphany
A few weeks ago, I was listening to What Have You (one of my favorite podcasts!), and one of the ladies mentioned that she has a tried-and-true chocolate chip cookie recipe that she loves. And it hit me. I don’t have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I love.
So, as a mature Christian woman, I panicked. I had a mid-wife crisis. And I baked three batches of cookies in the span of a few days. My husband (who loves cookies, but, thankfully, loves me more) began to look at me with a quizzical eye.
And you know what? WORTH IT.
Because now, I have a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I love!
And yes, I am sharing it with you! As well as some things I learned on my journey. Because I think everyone should know how to make their ideal chocolate chip cookie.
The Epiphany
As I began this journey, I discovered that I had held several erroneous assumptions about chocolate chip cookies:
1. “Chewy” and “soft” mean the same thing when describing cookies. They are actually two very different adjectives. I had always thought I wanted a chewy cookie, but what I really wanted was a soft chocolate chip cookie.
2. Nobody likes the flat chewy cookies. Turns out some people do prefer this, which explains the abundance of recipes that produce this type of cookie.
3. Perfectly soft, thick cookies like what you buy at the local bakery are unachievable in the home kitchen. This was the crux of the epiphany – I realized that this simply could not be true, and I set out to prove myself wrong.
Turns out, bakery-style soft chocolate chip cookies are JUST AS EASY to make at home as “regular” chocolate chip cookies!
The Winning Recipe
What I was envisioning was a thick, soft cookie with a texture similar to that of a sugar cookie or peanut butter cookie, but with the classic taste of a chocolate chip cookie. I also didn’t want a cakey texture. Cakey cookies are great in their own right, but not what I’m looking for in a chocolate chip cookie.
I scanned loads of existing recipes and read the authors’ commentaries to determine what produces different types of cookies. Darcy Lenz at myrecipes.com gives a great explanation of the factors involved in producing a thick cookie, and I used her recipe as my starting point.
I made a few key changes, including:
- I added cornstarch, a secret ingredient I had seen in a few other recipes (including this one at Sally’s Baking Addiction). I wanted maximum lift on these cookies! Don’t let this ingredient throw you off. A box of cornstarch costs about a dollar and will last you a long time. And you can’t taste it in the cookies!
- I wanted to simplify the recipe, so I cut out the refrigeration step. The cookies did flatten out slightly more while baking, but remained soft and thick! If you have the patience and want a cookie that really holds its shape, after forming the dough into balls, refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
- I reduced the amount of chocolate chips. If I’m going to put in the effort to make cookies, I want the cookie to be the star of the show. If I just wanted to eat a bunch of chocolate chips, I would go ahead and do that. Unashamedly. But if you disagree with me, throw another handful of chips in there!
Keys to Success
A couple important notes:
- Don’t skimp on creaming the butter and sugars! Start with soft butter, and beat together with the sugars until they are light and fluffy. This helps the cookies have that perfect texture.
- Get that oven hot. Make sure it is preheated to 400 before putting the cookies in. The high heat helps the cookies hold their shape, rather than spreading out flat.
- You can make the dough balls larger or smaller, depending on the size of cookies you want.
- Start checking the cookies at 10 minutes on the dot. Pull them out of the oven when the edges are just set. The middles will look gooey – that’s a good thing! Leave the cookies on the sheets to cool for at least 15 minutes. During this time, the residual heat will finish baking the cookies.
- Believe it or not, these cookies are actually better after they have sat for a while (a few hours) than fresh out of the oven! That time allows everything to settle down into that perfectly soft texture.
- Put them in an airtight container, and these cookies will stay soft and fresh for several days!
Drumroll Please
Without further adieu, I present to you: Chocolate Chip Epiphany Cookies!
Chocolate Chip Epiphany Cookies
Ingredients
- 2⅓ c all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 10 tbsp butter softened
- ⅔ c brown sugar packed
- ⅓ c granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 egg large
- 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Grease two cookie sheets.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the softened butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Mix in vanilla and egg until combined.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips. (The dough may be rather stiff at this point; some of the chocolate chips may have to be worked in by hand in the next step.)
- Roll the dough into balls. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are just set but the middles still look gooey. (It's important to pull the cookies before they actually look done!)
- Let cookies cool on baking sheets for at least 15 minutes. (During this time, the residual heat will finish baking the cookies.)
Excited to try them!
I’m getting rave reviews and I forgot to add the vanilla. Soft and chewy 2 days later!
Awesome! Not that you forgot to add the vanilla 😉