Friday, May 21, 2010
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Last night we had a down pour and it was just one of those nights where you want to stay in and snuggle up with a blanket and good movie. Thad was taking a post work power nap and the house was silent except for the pitter patter on the roof from the rain. I decided to pull out my "Martha Stewart's Cookies" cookbook and just read the recipes, something I like to do. It is fun to see what ingredients and techniques each recipes calls for and uses (I know I am a nerd).
I found a chocolate cookie recipe that sounded yummy and buttery and decided I was going try it. Like chocolate cake recipes, there a million trillion billion chocolate chip cookie recipes, so why did I want to try this one? Two reasons 1) It came highly recommended by Martha who I trust entirely and 2)The recipe calls for lots of butter and extra brown sugar, two things I love.
Ok so lets get started....
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips, or a combination (12 ounces worth)
Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Measure out the flour and baking soda in a separate bowl and mix; set aside. If using stand mixer, use the paddle attachment or if you have a hand held mixer that is fine too. Combine the butter at room temp. with the sugars and beat on medium speed until pretty and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Then change the speed to low and add in the salt, eggs and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are blended well. Mix in flour mixture, making sure it is mixed well but not too much. Often times with cookies if you mix too long the dough will become tough, so mix long enough to incorporate the ingredients. Lastly add in the chocolate chips (I am a semi-sweet girl but milk chocolate will do also).
Get out your cookie sheet and place parchment paper over cookie sheet, covering it entirely. Then drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the parchment paper. It said in the recipe to make sure that the cookies are two inches apart but I only do 6 cookies at a time so that that spacing is not an issue.
Place in oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes. When I am making a new recipe I always play with the time. The first batch I put in for 10 minutes but that was not enough time, so the second batch I put in for almost 11 minutes, rotating cookies half-way through the baking time and they came out just right. Look for slightly browned edges and soft in the center, that is when they will be done.
Once done, take out of oven and let sit for several minutes so that they have time to cool and solidify before being transferred to a cooling rack. Once slightly cooled, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before eating.
I really liked this recipe (I wouldn't put it up here if I didn't). It is a very different type of cookie from the beloved Million Dollar Cookies which are Thad's favorite. With that said we both loved these and Thad said these are his second favorite chocolate chip cookies. They are a flatter, softer cookie with a great buttery taste. They remind me of a Mrs. Field's type cookie. They are very yum and the name holds true, they are soft and chewy, so easy to make and so delish. So pour yourself a small glass of milk and grab about 3 of these buttery cookies and enjoy (maybe even when nobody is looking dip them in the milk, just a suggestion).
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
Yum....I am trying to loose a bunch of weight so I am glad I live thousands of miles away, because I know I could NOT resist these!!!
ReplyDeletelooks yummy. I always think of soup when it rains. Last night made "Peggy's Minestrone soup" Yep it was raining and cold. Snow at the end of May!
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