I have become obsessed with chocolate chip cookie recipes. I have set out to try as many as I can. So far, I have blogged about the New York Times Chocolate Chip cookies, which I loved, and my husband enjoyed...but nowhere near as much as the Best Big, Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies from All Recipes.com, aka "Devil Cookies", as he calls them. They are incredibly rich and soft, and my husband's absolute favorite.
But of course, once I have seemingly found the "perfect" recipe for chocolate chip cookies, I decide that there must be an even better one out there. But so far, I have yet to find one. This one from the Joy of Cooking was pretty good, but definitely below my expectations. They are super buttery, soft and chewy, but also fell quite flat. So far it is Devil Cookies 2, other cookies zero.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Joy of Cooking
Preheat the oven to 375. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.
Whisk together:
1 cup plus 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Beat in a large bowl until well-blended:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Add and beat until well combined:
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Stir in the flour mixture until well-blended and smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips (I added an extra 1/2 cup).
Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just slightly colored on top and the edges are brown, about 8 - 10 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.
Makes about 36 cookies.
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21 comments:
I know, finding the best chocolate chip cookies is impossible. I have a few on my blog that I think are pretty good. But it depends on what you like, my boyfriend likes thin and crispy and I like thick and a little under cooked. Good luck! :)
i just made these from my beloved copy of JoC... the whole family was a bit underwhelmed. I added a few teaspoons of flour to the remaining batter after the first limp, flat batch came out of the oven and the remaining cookies came out really nice. not too cakey, with that nice sugary-buttery yumminess!
found this post googling the recipe (I have it almost completely memorized except for baking powder vs. soda, can NEVER remember)
the cookies go flat because the dough is very soft.
I've found putting the dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes before baking keeps the dough from spreading and giving you more dimensional (and tastier) cookies. I also only bake them for 9-11 minutes, depending on the oven.
I actually REALLY love this recipe--I swear by it. I find that using a good pan (one that doesn't buckle) and and possibly a silpat, that will change the results of the cookies tremendously. I also use sugar in the raw sugar, whole wheat pastry flour--using different textures helps make the cookie more unique, more crunchy yet still chewy. i just baked a batch at a friends house with a different pan and no silpat and....underwhelmed!
This is one of my favorite cookie recipes, but you're right about how they can fall flat. I find that the recipe doesn't call for enough flour. I follow the recipe, then add flour until the dough is no longer tacky (anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra flour). Then I do a tester in the oven. If the test cookie spreads, there's still not enough flour.
The cookies I was making kept coming out flat. I then discovered that if I beat them more they aren't flat. One tip that always helps is don't use a hand mixer.
Thanks for posting this--I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies and these are the ones my mom used to make so they will always be the gold standard for me.
The previous poster is right--you can't use an electric mixer with these. I suspect that is why yours came out flat. You have to mix by hand with room temperature butter.
I also recommend reducing the white sugar by 1/4 cup; they are really sweet otherwise.
I use the Kitchen Aid to mix the cookies and find they come out perfect! This is my favorite recipe but I lost (misplaced) my Joy Of Cooking book so had to google to find the recipe! Thanks!
For chocolate chips, use Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Chips.
another useful modification, use dark brown sugar instead of light brown
What are Devil Cookies?
I agree with you. I use the same stand mixer because it is easier to add ingredients vs. a hand mixer. The key is to use good quality unsalted butter at room temperature, good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips and real vanilla extract. My cookies do not fall flat. They are the perfect texture, not too cakey and not to crunchy but perfectly balanced between chewy and crunchy. I actually make a giant version of these with an ice cream scoop and they rival Bouchan's chocolate chip cookies! Everyone giddlily gobbles them up every time I make them and people beg me for the recipe! Joy of Baking is my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies (except I omit the nuts). I have more tips if anyone is interested because these cookies are perfect! :)
You can keep your chocolate chip cookies from falling flat by adding more flour. They fall flat due to too moist of a cookie dough. I have found that the real secret to making beautiful, delicious chocolate chip cookies every time is learning the perfect consistency of the dough, and adjusting the flour accordingly. Sadly, a recipe will never be able to tell you that, since weather, altitude, humidity, etc. all affect how your dough turns out.
Love love love these cookies! I have found, after years of trial and error that if you add 2 more tbsp of flour they are teeny bit softer :) Delish!
This is my favorite recipe. I love that they are flat and have crisp feathery, buttery edges. I have found that if you sift the flour into the measuring cup, you get this type of flat cookie. If you measure, then sift, you get the thicker, cakier cookie.
These are my fave cookies ever -- and I win chocolate chip cookie contests with them consistently. I actually LOVE that they spread and are flat. I only cook for 7 minutes in my convection oven, and they come out melt-in-your-mouth gooey and delicious.
I am laughing at some of the descriptions! I have used my version of this recipe for about 45 years! I like them chewy, with crispy edges. My original version of the JofC added flour for sure. When I was just starting with them, we called them "cow pie" cookies, due to the spread. If anyone has lived on a ranch, they would know what I mean. I wish I could post a photo of the page in the book. It shows the years of use with stains and spots and marks of different additions and changes..
HI
Can't seem to find the temperature requirement for the oven??
I haven't made these in 35 years but figures I would give it a go!
Thanks, jmf
FYI the original joy of cooking recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon for vanilla (not 1.5 teaspoons as written above). It comes out runny if you use 1.5
I also add a little extra flour to these cookies and a third to a half cup of Heath Bar bits. They're delicious!
I love this recipe! I put pecans in mine and I use 2 cups of pecans and I take the pecans straight from the freezer. They are definitely not flat when I take them out of the oven! They look gorgeous! Of course you have to like pecans!
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