ultimate, big, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookies

I have wondered for a long time, why chocolate chip cookies from bakeries taste so much better then when I make cookies from scratch. I thought scratch was always supposed to be better. However, everytime I make chocolate chip cookies at home, they just turn out vaguely disappointing.

So when cookies were this month's challenge, I decided to seek out the ultimate chocolate chip. The cookie had to be big, with a soft and chewy center, and perfectly melty chocolate chips.

I had plans of doing a full on Monica and Phoebe style test. Where I baked different recipes, with different ratios of ingredients, and types of chips.

However when I went to do a little research, I found someone had already done all the heavy lifting for me.

Just kidding, but it was close. I found a reddit post, where someone had tried many different recipes and found the ultimate chocolate chip cookie and when I baked them were perfect!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed ½ cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, plus more for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

Interjecting here to say REALLY DO THE TEST BATCH OF 2 COOKIES. Always test 2 cookies first! Always, always, for any recipe. That way if you have to adjust anything you're not SOL! Also you might want to watch the video in the blog post I linked above for a good idea of what the texture of the dough should look like!

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the cooled melted butter and the sugars with a hand-mixer for about one minute. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix briefly, just until there are no flour clumps left. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350°F, making sure you have the racks in the middle of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop 1/4 cup of cookie dough at a time and roll into balls. Then, tear the balls in half by pulling gently on both sides. Smush the two halves together again, but this time have the lumpy, torn sides face upward. Place on the prepared baking sheet, making sure the cookies have plenty of space to spread. You should be able to fit 6-8 cookies on each tray.

Bake for about 10-14 minutes, rotating half-way through, or until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden, but the centers of the cookies still look soft and undercooked. Every oven is different, so I recommend starting with just one or two cookies on the tray to see what baking time works best for you! Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until the cookies are firm enough to remove, about 15 minutes. As the cookies are cooling, press additional chocolate chips into the tops for a more bakery-style look. Repeat with remaining batches, until all cookies are baked. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!

Recipe Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodPorn/comments/7k84bc/its_taken_a_ton_of_testing_to_get_here_but_these/