Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I saw this recipe on howdoesshe.com.

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, melted (yes, I said MELTED)

1 Cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar (granulated)

1 Tbsp Vanilla

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 Cups Milk chocolate chips

 

1. First, gather all of your bad boys together into one place.  This is partly for convenience, and partly to be sure you HAVE everything in the house that you need BEFORE you start making the dough!

 

2. Slap that butter into a microwave-safe bowl and start melting it. Okay, this went against everything I thought I knew about cookie-making. Melt the butter? Wha?!? Yes, melt that baby, melt it good!

 

3.  While that butter is melting (it’s okay, breathe, it will work out) you can start to combine your dry ingredients into another bowl. Tip: When measuring flour, take a large, heaping cup full, then  use a ruler or other straight edge to carefully skim off the top. Do NOT do the “tap tap tap down” thing as you’ll compact the flour instead of getting 1 cup of light fluffy goodness. Add to the flour the baking soda and salt. Whisk it together to combine.

 

4. Your butter should now be melted, so take it out of the microwave and be prepared to mix in the sugars. Tip: when measuring your brown sugar, you want to cram as much into that cup measurement as possible! Pretty much exactly the opposite as you did with the flour. Pack it in, baby, pack, pack, pack! Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the melted butter and beat until smooth.

5. Then add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla. Tip: When baking, it’s actually BETTER to use the artificial vanilla. When the real stuff get’s super heated (like, oh, 350 degrees or so) it actually loses some of it’s flavor! So feel free to be cheap here. It’s like my mantra, any way.

6. Oooh, baby, baby. Ahem.. sorry about that. I got lost in the cookie dough madness for a second. Okay, now we’re going to add the chocolate chips. PAY ATTENTION! You only want to add about HALF of the chocolate chips now. Don’t be tempted to add all of them… trust me. Put aside 1/3 – 1/2 of the chocolate chips in a small bowl and mix the rest in with the dough. You’ll thank me in a minute… Tip: Milk chocolate chips taste the BEST, but if you find the cookies a little on the sweet side, substitute half of the chips with semi-sweet. 

 

7. Don’t get all excited now that  your incredibly delicious dough is ready and waiting. Here is the rub: you need to stick that bowl of doughy goodness in your fridge for about an hour. If you bake it right now, you’ll end up with thin, frisbee-sized cookies that are not very appetizing (although, let’s be honest… anything involving chocolate is appetizing). So, stick that dough in the fridge, and walk away. Walk away before you are tempted above that which you can withstand. Oh, alright, have a little taste and THEN walk away. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll walk away now. Don’t worry, I’ll watch it for you. It’s not going anywhere. Come back in an hour.

8. Hey, you’re back! Wait… is that cookie dough on your cheek? Huh. Anyway, nab that bowl of chocolate chips that you put to the side, get out your baking sheets, and let’s start rolling! Tip: use a scoop to measure out balls which are uniform in size. This will prevent some from over-baking while others are undercooked. Okay, roll some dough to form a ball, then (ooh, you’ll love this) dip the top of the ball into the bowl of reserved chocolate chips. Then place a couple of inches apart on your baking sheet. This is what will give your cookies that “perfect” look. Stick them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for about 13 minutes. You want to remove them when the tops are just the tiniest bit shiny.

 

 *UPDATE (10/20/10) - I made this on Saturday and they were really yummy!  I did forget I had to put them in the refrigerator for an hour and I didn't have time, so made what I needed and they tasted very yummy!  Then I put the rest of the dough in the fridge and made them the next day and tasted very yummy too!  So I guess do what you need to do.  Do be careful not to overcook these cookies b/c they will get really really crunchy.  Don't worry if you do though, just pop them in the microwave for few seconds and it will make them less crunchy!  I definitely recommend these cookies!