Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have previously twice declared that I have found the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever, and yet I keep trying new recipes.  My dear sis bought me David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert for Christmas, and after drooling over almost every recipe in the book I settled on giving his chocolate chip cookies a try.


The recipe calls for refrigerating the dough for at least 24 hours, which was a bit of a challenge for me since when the mood to bake strikes, the mood to eat usually does as well.  Of course I had to nibble on the dough a bit, but I managed to wait the full 24 hours, and not a minute longer.

Best thing about this recipe?  So. Much. Chocolate.  I used Valhrona 71% chocolate bars which is one of my favourite dark chocolates.  Very rich and has a super strong cocoa flavour.  I wanted to be true to the recipe and use dark chocolate chunks, but Mike prefers milk so I split the dough and made half with Guittard's milk chocolate chips.  Both versions were to die for, the cookie is super chewy with an almost caramel-like flavour to the dough. 

David Lebovitz's Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (8 ounces/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (about 225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 14 ounces (400 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2- to 1-inch (1.5- to 3-cm) chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate drops

   

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed just until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, preferably for 24 hours.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick and place the disks 3 inches (8 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. If the nuts or chips crumble out, simply push them back in.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.