I come from a "cookie" family. Some families are "cake" families, some families are "pie" families, etc., but we are definitely a "cookie" family. No matter the season, or the weather, (even during heat-waves when no-one-is-even-thinking-about-using-their-oven weather) there was always a tin of homemade cookies stashed in either the cupboard, or the Monk-shaped cookie jar that had "thou shalt not steal" written across his big belly. I'm not going to lie, at some point or another, we all reached into his belly for an extra cookie or two when "thou shouldn't have". So, my love of chocolate chip cookies (the chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery in nyc is one of my "last meal" foods) must come as no surprise. As much as my family tried different recipes, a classic chocolate chip was always favoured, so it became our tried and true, go-to cookie.
Jumping ahead to my university years, I was enrolled in a program that had a cohort of 30 ish people. We were together all day in classes for 11 months straight. One of my friends in that group used to bring her famous Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to school for potlucks and special occasions. I tell you, those cookies were mouth-salivating good - chewy, lightly dense, oodles of chocolate good. Over time, she eventually shared her original recipe with me. In the years since our program, I have played and tweaked with the recipe (different flours, adding nuts, cutting back on butter and trying alternate sweetners, etc.), but I still think, other than Levain Bakery's chocolate chip cookie, that this recipe makes the BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Today, the Monk cookie jar with the big belly still sits in my Mom's kitchen and there are still usually homemade cookies in a tin somewhere to be found. Those cookies are often this Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie, because you can't go wrong with a classic.
So pour a glass of milk, sit down and enjoy a few of these deliciously Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. Bring them to you're next potluck, or they're even good enough to serve à la carte at dinner parties as dessert! Go for it, no one will complain.
Enjoy,
Krista
The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever (adapted from Monica)
Makes about 36 small cookies
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 package)
*Maldon Salt, to sprinkle on top (*optional, not for purists)
Method
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter and sugars until mixture looks fluffy and light in colour. Add eggs one at a time, fully mixing in before adding the next, then add vanilla. In a separate bowl combine (and sift if desired) flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add flour mixture (dry) into wet stand mixer ingredients bit by bit, until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in chocolate chips with a spatula. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop and drop batter onto a lined baking sheet. Place sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill (this prevents cookies from flattening out too much when baking).
Remove chilled cookies from refrigerator and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Remove sheet from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle 2-3 crystals of Maldon Salt (Himalayan Pink would work nicely here as well!) on top of each cookie (if using) and transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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