Chocolate chip cookies

When people ask used to ask me me if I bake my response was a resounding no. I disliked that you can't test and alter the recipe while cooking and greatly preferred the improvisational aspect of cooking.

Now that I'm trying to expand my boundaries I decided to give baking another try, starting with chocolate chip cookies. Every time I've done them in the past (and we're talking 8+ years because I hated baking so much) they end up too crispy, flat, and terrible.

But... if I'm going to revisit baking go big or go home, right? Enter brown butter sea salt nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I decided to do these because Nutella is, in my mind, heaven in food form and because the recipe looked more complicated than your standard cookie. And maybe because I was having friends over for dinner and wanted to impress a girl (dinner menu: smashed avocado and bacon bruschetta // sous vide rack of lamb with mint pesto // oven roasted potatoes // mixed green salad with goat cheese, craisons, walnuts, and a Brianna's blush vinaigrette // peanut butter ice cream // aforementioned cookies). The cookies were the only thing I hadn't made in the past and of course the oven broke. The cookie dough went into the freezer where it was forgotten for several days.

It's hard to describe the sensation I felt when the cookie dough was rediscovered, but it was probably how you would feel if you walked home one day to find that your house was infested with golden retriever puppies. I baked them and had no fewer than 11 cookies in a sitting. They were aweome.

After making a second batch I decided that while incredibly tasty they weren't exactly what I was looking for (I'd say a touch grainy a little too sweet) so I went on my favorite website, Serious Eats, in search of another. Behold the holy grail of cookie articles.

I was compelled to make the recipe at the end of the article, and was stunned at the results. Literally the best cookie I've had in my entire life. I did a blind taste test with both recipes - the Serious Eats recipe won handily.

These cookies (and the article on cookie science) also changed my tune on baking. While you can't alter the recipe part way through, you can change the result by having an understanding of what's chemically going on when you're baking. I like nerd things.

Chewy chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges, a rich, buttery, toffee-like flavor, big chocolate chunks, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Note: For best results, ingredients should be measured by weight, not volume.

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Every recipe we publish is tested, tasted, and Serious Eats-approved by our staff. Never miss a recipe again by following @SeriousRecipes on Twitter!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

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About This Recipe

YIELD:	Makes about 28 cookies
ACTIVE TIME:	30 minutes
TOTAL TIME:	1 day
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:	baking sheet, whisk, rubber spatula, 1 ounce ice cream scoop
THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN:	The Food Lab: The Science of the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
RATED:

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 standard ice cube (about 2 tablespoons frozen water)
• 10 ounces (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
• 5 ounces (about 3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 ounces (about 1/2 tightly packed cup plus 2 tablespoons) dark brown sugar
• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped with a knife into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks
• Coarse sea salt for ganish

Procedures

1. 1
   Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, gently swirling pan constantly, until particles begin to turn golden brown and butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue swirling the pan until the butter is a rich brown, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a medium bowl, whisk in ice cube, transfer to refrigerator, and allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. (Alternatively, whisk over an ice bath to hasten process).
2. 2
   Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Place granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed until mixture is pale brownish-yellow and falls off the whisk in thick ribbons when lifted, about 5 minutes.
3. 3
   Fit paddle attachment onto mixer. When brown butter mixture has cooled (it should be just starting to turn opaque again and firm around the edges), Add brown sugar and cooled brown butter to egg mixture in stand mixer. Mix on medium speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just barely combined but some dry flour still remains, about 15 seconds. Add chocolate and mix on low until dough comes together, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate dough at least overnight and up to three days.
4. 4
   When ready to bake, adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 325°F. Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or a spoon, place scoops of cookie dough onto a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet. Each ball should measure approximately 3 tablespoons in volume and you should be able to fit 6 to 8 balls on each sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown around edges but still soft, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top and bottom half way through baking.
5. 5
   Remove baking sheets from oven. While cookies are still hot, sprinkle very lightly with coarse salt and gently press it down to embed. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. 6
   Repeat steps 3 and 4 for remaining cookie dough. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container, plastic bag, or cookie jar at room temperature for up to 5 days.