SLOWE COOKING: A new take on Chocolate Chip Cookies

A friend and I recently made chocolate chip cookies by a recipe that she was given by a friend. While the recipe is similar to the one on the package of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chips, it has been tweaked and we liked the result. The cookies were crisp on the edges and chewy in the middle – just the way we like them. 

The changes made to the recipe include melting the butter instead of using room-temperature butter, increasing the amount of brown sugar and reducing the white sugar, and doubling the amount of vanilla. The recipe also uses baking powder in addition to baking soda. We added pecans to our cookies and used chocolate chips instead of a chocolate bar that would need to be chopped. 

Tara O’Brady’s Chocolate Chip Cookies 

1 cup unsalted butter 

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour 

1 ¼  teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 ½ teaspoons medium-grained kosher salt 

1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar 

½ cup granulated sugar 

2 eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped 

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)  

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Line two baking sheets or sheet pans with parchment paper. 

In a medium saucepan over the lowest heat possible, melt the butter. There should be no sizzle, crackling or pops; let the butter ooze into liquid without boiling, so minimal moisture is lost. Stir regularly, until the better is almost completely melted. (This is a good time to chop the chocolate.) 

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. 

Pour melted butter into a large bowl and then whisk in the sugars. The mixture will relax with a few seconds of stirring. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking briskly after each addition, but only to combine. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients. Once mostly blended, fold the chocolate into the dough until the remaining flour is incorporated and the dough no longer looks dusty. Bring any stray ingredients up from the bottom of the bowl. Do not overmix. 

If the dough seems warm or looks over glossy, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Roll into balls using 3 tablespoons of dough for each. Sprinkle with sea salt, if using. Bake in the hot oven until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, yet still soft at the center, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through the baking. Leave the cookies on the sheet pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Continue shaping and baking cookies with the remaining dough, making sure to use a cold sheet pan for each batch. 

Cookies can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.