If we’re being honest here, this recipe has been a long term experiment. Since working from home has been a “thing” I’ve made- and eaten- more cookies than ever before. Definitely no quarantine abs here.
I’ve never really been one for baking chocolate chip cookies but by 9:00pm the cabin fever of being home alone all day would kick in and I would need something to do, and something to snack on.
I almost always have all of the necessary ingredients to make them so improving my chocolatey cookies with each bake became a challenge.
At the start, I didn’t follow any certain recipe but instead would Pinterest search “chocolate chip cookies” and click whichever option had the prettiest picture. This led to cookies of all variations.
Something I grew to hate about chocolate chip cookies (who knew there could be anything to hate?) was when they would come out too puffy or all crunch.
My ideal cookie is relatively flat, crunchy around the edges, chewy in the center, financially stable, and into brunch.
But seriously, I could not figure out what was wrong with my cookies. They would come out pale and dry, flat and too crunchy, or they would deceive me and look great but turn into chocolate chip hockey pucks as soon as they cooled.
So, after tons of experimenting with flour, melted vs. softened butter, and white to brown sugar ratio, my best chocolate chip cookie yet was born!
It’s actually extremely simple, but there is one special ingredient that makes these cookies better than any others I have made. As I said earlier, I almost always have the necessary ingredients for this cookie staple but there is one thing that you just might need to make a run to the store for.
The secret is all in the chocolate. Every recipe I’ve ever used has called for semi-sweet chocolate chips but after so many cookie experiments I decided to try something new.
In the past year, we’ve started doing our regular grocery shopping at local spots in the Strip District here in Pittsburgh and our most recent favorite has been an Italian specialty store, The Pennsylvania Macaroni Company. Or, as my fellow yinzers would say, Penn Mac.
Here, not only have I splurged on ~fancy~ vanilla extract, local wildflower honey, and the most delicious pesto I’ve ever eaten, but I’ve also found bulk, milk, baking chocolate!
The secret to these cookies is that I used an enormous block of milk baking chocolate, chopped it myself, and replaced the sad, ordinary, semi-sweet chips I had been using. And it made a huge difference!
To chop the chocolate, I simply used a paring knife and a cutting board to shave and break off chunks of various sizes. I wanted the cookies to be very chocolatey and decided to purposefully leave some rather large pieces, which lead to some very delicious, melty, chocolatey bites!
Once your chocolate is prepared and imperfectly chunked, the rest of the recipe is extremely simple.
Start by combining your softened butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. I recently snagged a hand mixer because I’ve been baking so much, but a whisk should do the job just fine.
When the mixer is smooth, add the eggs and vanilla, then combine again.
Now, add your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir.
Once your mixture is completely combined, add your chocolate chunks. If you chopped your chocolate like I did, you should have large-ish pieces as well as tiny flakes and chocolatey dust on your cutting board. Use all of it!
Finally, all that’s left to do is get your cookies on the tray. I use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop my cookie dough. You could do the same or try a cookie scoop, tablespoon, or your hands, as long as your dough pieces are relatively even in size.
Pop those chunky babies in the oven on 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes and then stop back and tell us how fast they disappeared!
Keep an eye on your cookies and take them out when the edges just start to brown, the timing may vary depending on the size of your scoops.
Show-Stopping Chocolate Chip Cookies
Course: Dessert, CookiesDifficulty: Easy24
cookies15
minutes15
minutesThis beginner friendly recipe makes 24-30 cookies, depending on your sizing. Simple ingredients with a secret twist for cookie perfection.
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2-2 cups chopped milk baking chocolate
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Carefully use a paring knife to chop your baking chocolate into chunks and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter and brown sugar. Mix until smooth using a whisk or mixer.
- Add eggs and vanilla, stir to combine again.
- Stir in dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and salt using a spoon or rubber spatula.
- Add chocolate chunks, combine.
- Evenly scoop dough in desired size on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges just begin to brown.
- Stuff your face.