The “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
I’m not one for calling any recipe “perfect (unless it has a dramatic sound to it). I think calling any recipe perfect has more to do with an individual’s tastes and preferences. However, my friend Geoff, a novice home cook who loves to make desserts and now has the reputation among the dads of making incredible cakes, brownies and cookies, took “The Perfect Chocolate Chip” and made it better.
The recipe originally comes from a book called Search for the Perfect Chocolate Cookie, the result of a cookie competition in Massachusetts back in 1987 to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in America. From over 2,600 recipes sent in to the competition, more than 100 are included in this book.
The chocolate chip cookie recipe Geoff decided to share with me was the Grand Prize winner that he adapted because of his son’s allergy to nuts. The original recipe submitted to the contest was first published by the Junior League of Las Vegas in a book called Winning at the Table.
Because Geoff’s son can’t eat nuts, he just substituted more chocolate chips essentially doubling them up. I’m sure this recipe would be great with the nuts, but after enjoying his version at several family events, I can say this is the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever tasted. Here’s the recipe:
Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1-¾ cups flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1-cup butter, softened
1-teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (Geoff substituted 1 extra cup of chocolate chips)
1-cup semisweet chocolate chips
How to Make at Home
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Combine the flour and baking soda, set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add vanilla and both sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg.
At low speed, beat in cocoa, then milk. With a wooden spoon, mix in dry ingredients just until blended. If using the nuts, stir them in with all the chocolate chips.
Using a teaspoon, measure out rounded teaspoons for each cookie and place them onto a nonstick or foil-lined baking sheet. If you have more than one baking sheet and room in your oven, use them too.
Bake the cookies in the oven for about 12 to 13 minutes. When done, remove and cool slightly before removing them from the baking sheets.
This recipe should make about 3 dozen “perfect” chocolate chip cookies.
on December 21st, 2006 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for sharing, my three kids love cookies and this is is probably going to be the next batch!
on January 4th, 2007 at 4:28 am
Hi, thanks so much for sharing this recipe - sounds seductive! Are these crispy or chewy cookies?
on January 4th, 2007 at 8:14 am
I would say these cookies are more chewy than crispy but I guess that depends on how long you cook them.
on February 19th, 2007 at 6:06 am
I made a batch of these for Valentine’s day and they really are good. There are only a couple left, and already I want to make more! If you cook them for the recommended 12-13 minutes, then they’ll seem a bit gooey and liquid when they come out of the oven, but when they set up, they’ll be moist and perfect inside, and just crispy enough outside, and stay moist for days. I cooked most of them them on an air-core pan, which made the bottoms moist and didn’t dry them out. It worked fine with one batch on a regular thin aluminum pan, too.
I do have to recommend *not* forgetting to put the flour in. I did this with the first half batch, and uh, it’s amazing what a difference it makes (they still tasted good, but formed a big gooey mess!)
Of course, don’t put nuts in good cookies. Don’t put bugs in either.