We food bloggers can be a bossy group. You see a lot of “You have to try this!” and “This is the best (fill in the blank) recipe out there! Throw away any other version!”. We feel strongly about food and when we find something we like, we want to share. I come by my bossiness naturally. I am an oldest child and a Leo. I have almost 40 years experience telling people what to do.
I like to think that I am not overly bossy on my site. (Please let me know if you feel otherwise.) I fully appreciate that taste is completely individual and something I love might be something you hate. We all have different opinions about what is delicious and I respect that you might hate chocolate and french fries (although I will never never understand it).
It is with restraint and respect that I tell you that I have found the last chocolate chip cookie recipe I will ever need. What I want to do is to type in all caps and tell you that you have found the last chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever need…but I am holding my inner boss in check. I respect that you might have a much beloved recipe that you will never part with. But it is my duty as a food blogger to share my treasure.
I never really gave much thought to chocolate chip cookies until the New York Times recipe came along several years ago. Periodically I would see recipes in books and wonder why anyone would stray from the good old Tollhouse recipe. When all the hubbub died down, I made the NYT recipe and understood that a chocolate cookie is capable of subtlety and there was a difference when you used different kinds of flour, used chocolate disks instead of chips, and let the dough rest at least overnight. I made them again and again and thought I had found my until-the-end-of-time cookie recipe.
And then, just a few weeks ago, Ashley’s recipe came into my life. You know Ashley, right? If you don’t, you should. This very sweet very young woman is very accomplished and a very very good cook and baker. She teaches wonderful classes that happen to take place right next door to my house. I have taken a few and I look forward to taking more. I am a good cook and baker but I have learned some great things from her. Like how to make a perfect chocolate chip cookie.
What makes them so special? Three different kinds of sugar. A long creaming time. A lot of chocolate. A little trick with adding the flour and chocolate pieces to prevent over mixing. I don’t know. I asked her what she thought made them so special and she answered, “It’s just all those things together”. All right whatever, cookie genius. What I do know is that these cookies turn out perfectly round (every single one of them!), they have loads of chocolate and no nuts (a big plus for me), and they are that perfect combination of crisp exterior and chewy interior. They also have a sprinkling of sea salt on the top of each one which makes them irresistable.
I also asked Ashley about the let-the-dough-rest theory. She said her cookies are in fact even better (is that possible?) if you refrigerate the dough for 24 hours. When I told her that I found refrigerated dough kind of a pain to scoop, she said that she turns the dough out and forms it into a log. Then she slices and bakes. Cookie genius indeed.
One Year Ago: White Chocolate Almond Chunk Cookies
Two Years Ago: Feta and Ricotta Cheese Skillet Pie
Ashley’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Not Without Salt
Makes about 2 dozen
I have made no changes to the original recipe but have clarified a bit, with Ashley’s blessing. I used bittersweet chocolate for my cookies but semi-sweet would be great too.
2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup Turbinado sugar
1¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
12 oz. chocolate (use the best quality chocolate you can afford. With a serrated knife, cut chocolate into roughly ½-inch chunks.)
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 360ºF. Set rack in the middle of the oven.
Cream the butter and the sugars on medium-high speed until light, 4-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times during this process. Continue mixing while adding the eggs one at a time. Make sure each egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula. Combine the flour, soda and salt in another bowl. Mix with a whisk. With the machine on low, slowly add almost all the flour. Reserve just a bit of the mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the last bit of flour along with the chocolate. Stir with a spatula until just combined.
Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out mounds of dough making sure there is about 2 inches between each cookie. Do not crowd them and there is no need to press the dough down. Sprinkle each mound with a bit of sea salt.
Bake sheets, one at time, until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges and a bit gooey in the center, about 12 minutes. Do not overbake! Remove sheet from oven and allow to sit undisturbed for two minutes. Then carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining sheets.
(DT: I have a convection feature on my oven and was able to successfully bake three sheets at a time. If you do not have convection, I would highly recommend just doing one sheet at a time.)
I absolutely love the idea of putting salt on cookies–I feel like I put sea salt on everything these days! These look just gorgeous. I can’t wait to try them (and am relieved that there’s no necessary 24 hour wait time on them, though one of these days I should really give it a try..
Comment by Kasey — June 16, 2010 @ 9:21 pm
Ok, I am trying these soon! You know I am a cookie fanatic!
Comment by Maria — June 16, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
I love Ashley’s blog but somehow I missed these cookies. How, I don’t know. I’ve actually never made the NY Times recipe either. Again. How, I don’t know.
You are free to boss me around as much as you want, so long as you keep leading me to wonderful things like these cookies.
Comment by Joanne — June 17, 2010 @ 12:16 am
I will so be trying these (but with nuts because I love ‘em). I have yet to find the ideal chocolate chip cookie recipe, so this sounds awesome.
Comment by kickpleat — June 17, 2010 @ 12:16 am
OK, Dana, you sold me! I know what I am baking this weekend :)
Comment by Brooke — June 17, 2010 @ 2:37 am
Those look bloody delicious… God I love your blog. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I am sorely tempted to make these. (I like being bossed around – don’t tell anyone.)
Now missy – when are we to see a pic of your tattoo, hm?
Robynx
Comment by Koek! — June 17, 2010 @ 8:59 am
What temperature did you use for the convection baking? My mouth is watering as I read the recipe.
Comment by linda — June 17, 2010 @ 10:35 am
You girls certainly know what you are talking about, so the only question is, how fast can I get to the market?
Comment by fresh365 — June 17, 2010 @ 3:43 pm
ha I can totally relate to you. I’m also the oldest, and a Leo, and I have the tendency to be bossy…and gush about recipes until people make them :)
I believe you though, and I plan to make these cookies!
Comment by Natalie (The Sweets Life) — June 17, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
made me smile to see this post today.
Comment by Julie — June 17, 2010 @ 10:45 pm
These sound wonderful. My mother-in-law’s recipe is incredible and I’ll be keeping it, butI might have to try making these for a salted variation. Thanks!
Comment by D. @ Outside Oslo — June 17, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
I do already have my favorite recipe, and chocolate chip cookies are one of my very favorite foods in the world. But now I HAVE to try these, just cause you say they are soooo good. I am trying to not eat too many treats these days, but I will keep my eyes open for the perfect reason to bake these! Potluck preschool graduation tomorrow? See, that didn’t take long:) My mouth is watering already…
Comment by Mara — June 17, 2010 @ 11:46 pm
I ran across this recipe a while ago and it’s pretty much my go-to cookie recipe now. They are delicious. The only change I made was to use a full 16 oz. of chocolate :)
Comment by Kelly — June 18, 2010 @ 12:44 pm
Oh! Never had salty chocolate chip cookies, but I believe that must taste good. Indeed the cookies look perfect :-)
Comment by Juliana — June 18, 2010 @ 8:42 pm
Love these chocolate cookies! I don’t know if I could resist the temptation of the cookie dough sitting in my refrigerator all night! lol
Comment by Jessica — June 18, 2010 @ 10:11 pm
I have made these cookies. And I will say, every word you write is true. They’re genius. Never again another chocolate chip cookie in our house – wholly converted.
Darn. Now I want some.
Comment by tara — June 19, 2010 @ 2:48 am
I just tried these and they are SOOO good!! Thanks!!
Comment by Amy Ng — June 25, 2010 @ 4:24 am
Nice recipe. chocolate cookies are my all time fav ones. yours look soo perfect.
Comment by shriya — June 27, 2010 @ 2:33 am
I’ve found some really good chocolate chip cookie recipes but have no problem testing out another! ;)
Comment by Ashley — June 28, 2010 @ 2:55 pm
These are my husbands most favorite cookies! Since finding them on Ashley’s site I’m not allowed to make any other chocolate chip cookies in this house, the are so good!!!
Comment by mary jo — June 29, 2010 @ 12:23 am
I have a few “go to” chocolate chip cookie recipes, but this one looks too good not to try. Those cookies look absolutely fabulous! Thanks to both you and Ashley!
Comment by Susan @ SGCC — June 29, 2010 @ 2:10 am
[...] Dana from Dana Treat recently took a baking class from me where we made my favorite chocolate chip cookies. She went ahead and did my job for me by writing an incredible post honoring these chocolate-laden morsels. Her post on my cookies was so perfectly written and her cookies are flawless, so I’m just going to direct you to her instead. [...]
Pingback by Chocolate Chip Cookies Revisited « Catering Directory — June 29, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
My daughter and I made these cookies this morning. Seriously, hands-down, they are the best cookies I have ever had the pleasure of eating. They even beat out fancy bakery cookies! And here’s the thing — I didn’t have any Turbinado sugar so I substituted regular sugar. And I didn’t let them rest because we wanted to eat them immediately. AND I only used half a bag of bittersweet chocolate chips because we couldn’t keep our hands out of the bag last night. All that’s to say, I guess they can only get better from here?! I can hardly imagine. Wow, truly cookie perfection. I can’t wait to make them again! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! I’m smitten!
Comment by Melissa — June 30, 2010 @ 10:29 pm
[...] rather than 100% all-purpose flour (plain flour in UK). At Dana Treat, there’s a perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that’s worth noting as it was created with Ashley of Not Without [...]
Pingback by June 2010 Food Blog Round Up | Axel and Sophie Steenbergs Blog: News, Views and Chat about Spices, Tea, Recipes and the Environment — July 5, 2010 @ 10:04 am
Totally making these four our road trip this summer. Thanks! (PS-love that Ashley)
Comment by Aimee @ Simple Bites — July 7, 2010 @ 1:34 am
These are the absolute best chocolate chip cookies. ever. I found this recipe before Christmas last year and have made dozens and dozens of them sincE. I actually made a batch last night and used a vegetable peeler to shave off the chocolate block. So the chocolate ended up swirled throughout in these yummy ribbons. AMAZING.
Comment by Meg — July 14, 2010 @ 5:51 pm
best cookies ever.
Comment by amber — July 15, 2010 @ 9:43 pm