Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let's face it...everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie. They are so terribly hard to resist. Especially warm out of the oven. I think it's the attempt to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie that makes it even more fun. I have frowned when they have come out flat. Still tasty but flat. I like a soft and chewy cookie with a crisp bite at the edge. Mmmm...like I said irresistible.

What makes a soft and chewy?

Glad you were wondering that because I can tell you that high moisture content make it so. The recipe for soft and chewy equals...baking time and temperature must be adjusted to retain moisture. Binding the water in butter, eggs, and brown sugar (brown sugar has molasses, which is actually ten percent water) with flour slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker.

But Amanda....

What makes a crisp cookie?

Well...it again has to do with moisture. In this case reducing the amount of ingredients that hold moisture like flour, egg, and brown sugar, this makes it easy for liquid to evaporate, producing crisp cookies. The fat, which goes up proportionately when other ingredients are cut back, gets hotter than the water in the dough and drives out the moisture. What are we talking about when you say fat? Butter, oil, shortening...ya know the good stuff. Fat also makes the dough softer and melts when hot, making the cookies spread. For crispness, bake cookies longer at a lower temperature to give them more time to spread before they firm. Then bake long enough to dry and brown them evenly to develop the maximum toasty flavor and crisp texture throughout.

Number one bakers secret to making cookies...

Chill the dough.

When cookie dough is refrigerated that gives the gluten in the flour time to relax.

Wait...gluten...what could this be?

You are a smart cookie with all your questions (pun totally intended).

Gluten simply put is protein found in grains like wheat. Want to learn more go HERE 

You don't want to mix a cookie dough containing wheat flour because the more you mix it...the more gluten develops...and the more rubbery your cookies will be. Letting the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour does wonders for relaxing the gluten and letting you produce cookies that are soft or crunchy, and not tough and rubbery.

Also, letting the dough rest in the refrigerator also gives the flour more time to absorb the liquid more fully. This allows the dough to become drier and firmer, which produces a better consistency in the finished cookie and also better taste. [see talks about moisture above].

OK...enough of your cookie dough lessons let's have the recipe....

Chocolate Chip Cookies

*Recipe from Alton Brown

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter into your mixing bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5-7 minutes and rotating the cookie sheet for even browning.
 
Enjoy!!!