Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [365]
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The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies have a little bit of everything—and lots of chocolate chips, of course. Search out bittersweet chocolate chips for the best taste. If you’re not one for nuts, leave them out and increase the chocolate chips to 2½ cups. Makes about 60 cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cool unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup tahini
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup honey
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup rolled oats (do not use instant or steel-cut)
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Position the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and tahini; continue beating until creamy, pale brown, and very light, about 4 minutes.
Beat in the granulated sugar and honey until you can feel only the slightest graininess in the batter, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then beat in the vanilla until smooth.
Beat in the coconut, oats, and walnuts just until uniform. Turn off the beaters, add the prepared flour mixture, and beat at low speed just until a dough begins to form. Scrape down the beaters, remove them, and fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, making sure there are no dry patches of flour left.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto two large, ungreased baking sheets, spacing the mounds about 3 inches apart. Bake in the top and bottom thirds of the oven for 9 minutes.
Flatten the cookies with the back of a metal spatula just to spread them a bit. Reverse the trays top to bottom and back to front and continue baking until set, lightly browned, and a little firm to the touch, about 9 more minutes.
To cool: Leave the cookies on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cool the baking sheets for at least 5 minutes before making more cookies.
To store: Place in a sealed container between sheets of wax paper at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
For chewier, flatter cookies, bang the baking sheets against the wire racks of the oven after the cookies have baked for 15 minutes, thereby causing them to fall a bit during the last few minutes of baking.
For very chewy cookies, reduce the granulated sugar to ¼ cup and add ¼ cup light corn syrup with the remaining granulated sugar.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies: Substitute peanut butter for the tahini.
Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies: Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
Everything Chocolate Chip Cookies: Reduce the chocolate chips to 1½ cups; add 3/4 cup chopped raisins or dried cranberries with the remaining chips.
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Baking Sheets vs. Cookie Sheets
Technically, a baking sheet has four lipped sides; a cookie sheet has fewer; sometimes even none. We prefer baking sheets, even for cookies; if the dough is rolled into balls, they can’t roll off onto the floor.
These recipes do not call for insulated cookie sheets, specialty products that can dramatically affect baking times.
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Big Soft Sugar Cookies
These are the bakeshop classics, best the day they’re made. Makes 12 to 14 large cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
¾ cup solid vegetable shortening
1 large egg plus 1 large egg white, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)
Position the rack in the