Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chansons de Le Chef et Le Chat
I Get the Sweetest Feeling - Jackie Wilson
This was easily my most daunting song search. I wanted something fun, something light, and something unique. So many songs to choose from, and it becomes quite a task. I’d never heard this song before the time of writing, but it checks the boxes. Besides, what sweeter feeling is there, other than a warm chocolate chip cookie?
Even the worst chocolate chip cookie is still pretty good.
Now, imagine a great one
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
0.75 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder
0.5 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces of 60% cacao chocolate
2 crazy motherfrickers, straight outta compton (Ice Cubes)
self-aware cringe
Flaky sea salt
Consider adding:
Nuts - Walnuts, pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts.
Caramel
Toffee
Butterscotch
Crushed Candy Bars
Peanut Butter
Pretzels
Marshmallows
Dried Fruit
Instructions:
Add Dry Ingredients-
Combine sugar, brown sugar, espresso powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
Mix until… its mixed.
Brown Butter-
Melt your butter in a pot over medium to medium-high heat.
Add your espresso powder.
Brown butter is the art of essentially burning butter until it is brown. It becomes nutty and delicious. One of the best ways to upgrade literally any dish.
The best way to know when your butter is properly browned is by utilizing a technique that another wonderful internet chef taught me. Butter is like Beyonce and she likes to sing. When she stops singing, she is done.
Basically, your butter will bubble and pop and crackle. When that stops, remove from the heat.
Quick, Add Ice-
Add ice to stop the cooking process and to add back some of the water lost in the bubbling process.
Alvin Zhou, a wonderful chef has a method where instead of adding ice, he will freeze coffee and add an ice cube of coffee, I suggest this, if possible.
Combine Liquid and Dry Ingredients-
To your bowl, add your brown butter, and mix. This will help cool down the mixture before adding eggs.
Add your eggs along with a splash of vanilla extract. Mix well.
Add Flour-
Fold in the flour, careful to not overmix.
Chop Toppings-
Cut up your chocolate, and other toppings, and fold in to your dough.
Shape and Wait-
Allowing the dough to cool and rest helps significantly. Shape your cookie balls and wait 30 minutes or up to a day.
What this does, is harden the butter which creates layers and butter pockets as they cook.
Time to bake-
How you bake cookies can affect the outcome.
Lower heat and longer cooking times will create a flatter cookie that spreads out more.
Higher heat and shorter cooking times will give the cooking a gooey center and crispy exterior.
I suggest choosing between 350 for 12-14 minutes
Or, 425 for 8-10 minutes.
The third option is right in the middle. Feel free to experiment for yourself.
Garnish with Flakey Salt-
Make sure to allow them to rest for a few minutes. They will retain their shape better, while still remaining soft.
I grew up on my mom’s famous chocolate chip cookies. They were always so good and my whole family was giddy when we walked into the kitchen to the wafting aroma. In no way am I trying to put down my own mother, but it wasn’t until I got more involved in cooking that I became aware of the fact that they were just the instructions on the back of the bag of chips. I stand by the fact that any cooking is good cooking. As long as you try, that is what counts. And hey… I’m not gonna turn down a free cookie. But, Slowly, I began experimenting a little bit. Once I found out about browning butter, it was game over. Cookies went from 10 out of 10 to 12, just like that. Buying real chocolate and chopping it up, experimenting with cooking times, letting it rest overnight. These are techniques to improve all aspects of cooking.
I hope that I can inspire you to make some cookies, but let’s be real, it is not a difficult decision to make. And, if you want them tonight, imagine how much you’ll want them tomorrow. Don’t skip out on letting the dough rest. Time is love in the kitchen.
