Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have been searching for a new chocolate chip cookie recipe for awhile.  The last time I made the one on the back of the Nestle bag, well, let's just say they left something to be desired.  They came out really flat.  And not a lot of taste.  I needed something different. 

So I searched.

And searched.

And searched.

It seems every blog out there claimed to have the "Worlds' Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe".  They certainly all couldn't be world's best, right?

My neighbor lent me a cook book and I decided to start there.   This recipe is from Baking Illustrated and I have to say, it is delicious.  World's Best?  Quite possibly ... I don't think I have tried enough to give it that title, but these disappeared in my house very quickly.  And I won't be looking for a new recipe anytime soon.

You really should try them. 

Probably you should workout first as you might eat the whole batch.

And if you worked out first, then you wouldn't feel so guilty. 

Still a little guilty, because you did eat the WHOLE batch, but not quite so guilty.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe from Baking Illustrated

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. **Here is where it gets crazy - Baking Illustrated recommends forming your cookies this way to get a nice jagged edge on top, leaving them looking very professional.  It takes one of two to get the hang of it, but I do recommend it, they come out great!**  Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. You do not want to over bake these.  Cool the cookies on the sheets.

Hallie