Everyone Needs Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk

I had a crazy intense craving for a warm chocolate chip cookie and a glass of cold milk the other night. You can't really just make one chocolate chip cookie so I ended up baking 2 dozen. Don't worry. I do remember my goal (Btw, I saw a nutritionist today and she says I'm crazy to think I need to lose 20 lbs and she helped me reset my goal to 10 lbs so that's good news to hear. Finally, some good news.).

I can't tell you how satisfying it was to have that one warm cookie and then cold milk to wash it down. The cookie was soft in the center and slightly crispy on the edges and the gooey chocolate chips just made me smile. Mmmmmm. I took the rest of the cookies to work the next day and they were devoured. I'm grateful to my co-workers :)

I got my recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. I like this book. The recipes are easy to read and understand and there are plenty of pictures of the finished goodies. There are a variety of recipes for breakfast, cakes, cupcakes, pies, tarts, brownies/bars, cookies, candies/chocolates and even drinks. I can't wait to tackle their recipe for the Sweet & Salty Cake (a bestseller at their bakery in New York) and the Baked Brownie (Oprah's favorite and voted Best Brownie by America's Test Kitchen and the Today Show).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

my notes are in parenthesis

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (Leave the butter out at room temperature or place on top of warm oven to soften but don't let it melt!)
• 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract (try not to use vanilla flavoring - some of them have corn syrup)
• 16 ounces (a little more than 2 cups) of semisweet chocolate chips

1. Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy.
3. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
4. Add half of the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. (Don't overbeat.)
5. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Cover the bowl tightly and put in the refrigerator for 6 hours. (I only put mine in for 3 hours because it was getting late and I really wanted my cookie. In terms of texture, I think my cookies would have came out better if I had refrigerated the dough for 6 hours.)
7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (I used foil and it was fine.).
8. Use an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out dough in 2 tablespoon-size balls. Use your hands to shape the dough into perfect balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
9. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans once during the cooking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the tops just start to darken. (I didn't rotate my cookies and they were fine.)
10. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely (although they are delicious warm).
11. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.