CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I love cookies, especially good quality chocolate chip cookies. They are at the top of my food list choices. Chocolate chip cookies and ice cream probably enjoy equal status on the top ten list of foods I would take if stranded on a desert island. I happened to visit one of the blog sites that I have on my blog roll called Framed. On this site was a picture of great looking cookies and a link to get more background on the picture. The author of this blog site described how she made these wonderful cookies and how she followed the recipe with no changes or alterations. This recipe requires you to let the dough chill for 24 hours. I have never heard of chilling cookie dough for this length of time. There is science involved as we are talking about food chemistry and the mixing of different ingredients and let the flavours and chemical changes happen. My cookie dough usually goes from the mixing bowl to the cookie sheet with a bit of taste testing.

Well I just had to do some investigating and eventually ended up reading an article in the New York Times dated July 9, 2008. The article provides background information on the art of making chocolate chip cookies. Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930's. She owned the Toll House Inn which was located in Whitman, Mass, about 23 miles south of Boston. The article strongly recommends that the cookie dough needs to chill for at least 24 hours as this makes them more flavourful. Also using good chocolate with at least 60% cocoa is also important.

I copied the recipe from the New York Times on making these cookies. One of these weekends I will make this recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published: July 9, 2008 New York Times

Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with 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. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against 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 six 3.5 - 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. 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.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.