Ultimate Chocolate Cookie Book - Bruce Weinstein [23]
3. Meanwhile, soften the butter in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy and pale yellow but still grainy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure the first is thoroughly incorporated before adding the second. Beat in the vanilla, then the cooled, melted chocolate just until the batter looks smooth and uniform. Turn the mixer off, add the prepared flour mixture, and beat at low speed just until incorporated. The batter will be like thick buttercream frosting. Fold in the chips, either with the mixer at low speed or with a rubber spatula.
4. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto two large, ungreased baking sheets, preferably nonstick, spacing the cookies about 11/2 inches apart. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and back to front. Continue baking for 6 to 8 more minutes, until the cookies are puffed but firm and set—if you lightly touch one, you should not make an indent. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for 5 minutes before proceeding with additional batches.
Recommended storage
5 days at room temperature
3 months in the freezer
Customize It!
Reduce the chocolate chips to 11/2 cups and add 11/2 cups of any, or any combination, of the following to the batter with the remaining chocolate chips: chocolate-covered espresso beans, chopped dried apricots, chopped dried figs, chopped hazelnuts, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, dried cherries, golden raisins, pine nuts, unsalted sunflower seeds, or toasted pepitas.
Omit the chocolate chips entirely and substitute 3 cups of any of the following: butterscotch chips, M&M’s Mini Baking Bits, mint chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips.
For cakier cookies in the base recipe or any variation, stir 1/2 teaspoon baking soda into the flour mixture before adding it to the batter.
CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES
Fans of chunk cookies, look no further. Here’s a slightly chewy cookie, soft and moist so it can hold up against all the irregular chocolate pieces in the batter. If you want more crunch, enjoy them the next day, when they’ve had a chance to dry out slightly on the outside while remaining soft inside.
MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
11/3 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups chocolate chunks (see Note)
1. Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in a medium bowl until uniform; set aside.
2. Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until soft, light, but still a bit grainy, about 1 minute. Beat in the corn syrup, then beat in the egg, egg whites, and vanilla until uniform, fluffy, and a little runny, a little less than 1 minute.
3. Turn off the mixer, add the flour mixture, then beat at low speed just until a meltingly soft batter forms, about 30 seconds. Do not overbeat—its color should not lighten much at this point—and do not allow the dough to become glutinous. Stir in the chocolate chunks with a wooden spoon, then drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto two large, ungreased baking sheets, preferably nonstick, spacing