Chocolate chip cookies

These cookies are very special, at least to me.  They're from Kitchen, Nigella Lawson's wonderful new cookbook, which I've been falling in love with for a few days now.  You know how when you're reading a new cookbook you'll mentally earmark different recipes to make later?  But then one or two will pop out at you and demand to be made at once?  These chocolate chip cookies were that recipe for me, and here's why.

Nigella released her previous cookbook a couple of months before Jeff and I met, and I gave him six of Nigella's unbelievable triple chocolate chip cookies on our first date.  (Plying my romantic interests with baked goods was something I did that year.)  I knew Jeff was the one for me when I received an email from him an hour or so after the date, wherein he proclaimed the cookies "transcendent" and had equally lovely things to say about me as well.  Those cookies quickly became Our Cookies, and I made them for the guests at our wedding six months later.  And we have lived happily ever after.

So this afternoon I read Nigella's chocolate chip cookie recipe from her brand new book.  She mentioned that she had written seven books, but none of them included a recipe for regular chocolate chip cookies, mainly because they're so difficult to get right.  "A cookie that's too crisp feels dry and disappointing, and a cookie that's too chewy tastes like dough.  I want a bit of tender, fudgy chewiness, but an edge of crisp bite, too," Nigella wrote, and who can argue?  After a lot of testing, she came up with the following recipe, saying, "It's only because I've been buoyed up the ['transcendent' cookies'] success that I've felt confident enough to create this one."

In short: these are in the same ballpark as Our Cookies.  I have never been this excited to try a recipe.  Seriously. 

And ohhhh how this recipe delivered.  They're big.  They're beautiful.  "They're the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had," said Jeff.  Me too.  I kind of can't stop thinking about them.  I almost feel bad about sharing this recipe with you.  If you make these and love them as much as we do, buy one of Nigella's books, what do you say?  You will not be disappointed.  The way she writes about food will make you swoon, and her books would not be out of place on your bedside table. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (10 tablespoons)
• 2/3 C (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/2 C superfine sugar  <-- all I had was regular, so I used that and the cookies were awesome
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 egg, refrigerator-cold
• 1 egg yolk, refrigerator-cold
• 2 C flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt  <-- Nigella did not include this in the recipe, but I have to have at least a little salt in my cookies
• 11.5 oz bag of milk chocolate chips  <-- I find milk chocolate chips a bit cloying in cookies like these, so I used a mix of semi-sweet chips and chunks

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325.

Melt the butter and let it cool a bit.  Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them, and beat together.  I used a stand mixer.

Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg, and cold egg yolk, until your mixture is light and creamy.

Slowly mix in the flour and baking soda (and salt), until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.

Scoop the cookie dough into a quarter-cup measure or a quarter-cup round ice cream scoop and drop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 3 inches apart.  I was able to fit 6 cookies on a sheet.  You will need to make these in 2-3 batches, keeping the bowl of cookie dough in the refrigerator between batches.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are lightly toasted.  Mine took 19 minutes.  Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Tip: measure out the rest of the dough into 1/4 cup scoops and freeze.  Toss the frozen dough into a resealable plastic bag and take these out whenever it's cookie time.  Put the cookies in the oven frozen but add 2-3 extra minutes to the baking time.

Makes 14-17.

PS Thanks to Jeff for taking the photo.  <3

Comments

[sweetbo]

I wonder if you use salted butter if the added salt isn't necessary. If the American Test Kitchen is correct (along with my memory) salt sometimes mucks up the moister of a cookie.

[sweetbo]

Can I just say that word jumble you have to do to post is a bitch with dyslexia. I always fail at least once. It's like my "yup, still got it" test.

[Tassoula.blogspot.com]

Just made these, Kelly. AMAZING. Thanks for posting recipe!!!

[Kelly]

Go Tassoula, and sorry about that, Hil! I wish you didn't have to do the word jumble. I have to do it too, and it's my blog!

[Cadie]

I've got these in the oven right now. Looks like they are going to be some BIG cookies! Can't wait to see how they turn out.....thanks for sharing the recipe. I love your blog!

[Morrie]

I just made these. I was so excited because you seemed to love them and the picture made them look so delicious. But I followed the recipe exactly and they were not very good. They were large, cake-like, tasteless, and hard around the edges. :(

[Kelly]

Sorry you didn't like them, Morrie! I truly think these cookies are incredible, and I am craving some right now (am on horrifying diet).

[Morrie]

I am thinking about trying it again. Today's weather is not the best for baking.
What sort of diet are you on?

[Kelly]

It's kind of based on Tim Ferriss' weight loss plan from his new book "The 4-hour Body." It's basically a low-carb, high protein, high green vegetables diet with one splurge day per week to convince your body that you're not starving. I've lost around 6-7 pounds over a couple of weeks (with some holiday-related cheating) and so has Jeff.

I really don't understand why the cookies didn't work out for you. Sorry I can't help you--kind of need to see/taste them to figure out what's going on. :)

[Morrie]

You should definitely blog about it! I and many others have made resolutions to lose some weight for the new year.

Me either. And I appreciate your helpfulness. I also want to try the lemon ricotta "cakies."

[Kelly]

I'm sure I will, as soon as I can come up with a recipe for chicken that is not a total snorefest! Some of the stuff I've made is pretty good, like the chicken fajitas I made last night, but since we can't doll it up with cheese, sour cream, or even a blasted tortilla, it kind of takes the pizazz out of the meal. Actually, maybe I'll write about the diet and use a splurge day recipe. Yes.

Those cakies are achingly good. Have fun!