Chocolate Chip Cookies

NEWSFLASH! The previously posted recipe for Sweet and Salty Cake contained an omission in the ingredient list. It has been corrected, and I apologize for any inconvenience or resultant reduction of delectability. 

I had a discussion with my sister-in-law the other day about how baked goods look vs. how they taste. She felt like deliciousness is the measure of a baked good and appearance was unimportant. I agree that deliciousness trumps any other factor. But, in my mind anyway, I feel like if you put effort into executing all the steps correctly, it should look good in the end. Pretty, even.

But maybe I'm wrong.

Because I followed the instructions on these cookies to the letter. But they have that saggy-old-lady-skin look to the edges. Why?

I've done a little research, and most of what I found suggests one of two things:

1) Instead of using butter, use half butter half Crisco. To which I say, "Thanks for that; I'll file that away..."* Since deliciousness trumps appearance, that is not a viable option.

2) Chilling the dough before baking. To which I say, "But I did! The recipe told me to!"

After baking the initial batch, I even froze the rest of the dough in little balls and baked some a few days later. Still old lady skin cookies.

And, truth be told, the pictures of these cookies in the cookbook don't look super great, either. Not so wrinkly, but not the picture-perfect cookies I imagine.

So, next time, I will take some other advice I found, which is to reduce the baking soda. We'll see how that turns out.

In the meantime, the cookies were delicious. A great balance of cookie and chocolate chips. They will be my new go-to chocolate chip cookie, replacing the recipe I used to use, which was entitled "Best Cookies."

UNTIL NOW!

Chocolate Chip Cookies a.k.a. New Best Cookies (printable recipe)

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool
• 1 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 2/3 c (16 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated. The mixture will look light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 5 seconds.
3. Add half the flour mixture and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerator for 6 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out dough in 2-tablespoon-size balls. Use your hands to shape the dough into perfect balls and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans once during the cooking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown and the tops just start to darken.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the individual cookies to the rack to cool completely.

* Does anybody know where that quote came from? I have listened to the movie playing in my car probably 100 times. Still funny.

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

Also, Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella, Brown Butter, and Sea Salt

I learned several things with this recipe.
1) Cookies aren't very photogenic. At least with my limited skills.
2) I don't love cookies that much. I don't know; I'm just not a big cookie person.

UNTIL NOW!

These are seriously amazing cookies. I like the idea of Black Forest cake, but the gross, slimy cherries and dry chocolate cake just never lived up to my expectations. But these cookies by Baked are a great combination of rich, not overly sweet chocolate, tart dried cherries, and a perfect sprinkling of dark, semi-sweet, and white chocolate chips. And get this: there is only 3/4 cup of flour! The rest of it is all butter, chocolate, and eggs!

The recipe said it would only make about 24 cookies, so I decided I'd try another (non-Baked) cookie recipe I'd found on Annie's Eats.

Nutella+Brown Butter+Sea Salt=Yummy

Both cookies are good...I think I'm going to have to say the Black Forest cookies win in my book. Also, the Black Forest cookies win in my book club. I took both cookies to book club, and more of the Black Forest were eaten. Everyone seemed to like both types, though.

My husband likes the Brown Butter/Nutella. So really, it's pretty much a toss-up.

Also, the "makes about 24 cookies" turned out to be a big, fat lie--it made like 64 cookies. So, I have a lot of cookies hanging out at my house. If you're in the area, come on over and have some!

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies (printable recipe)

3/4 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

16 oz. dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces

6 large eggs

1 1/4 c sugar

1 c firmly packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

1 c (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1 c (6 oz.) white chocolate chips

1 c (6 oz.) dried cherries

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the dark chocolate and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool. 

3. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugars on the high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and the vanilla a beat until just combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat again for 10 seconds. 

4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined, about 10 seconds. Do not overmix.

5. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and dried cherries. The dough will look very loose, but it will harden in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. 

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the tops of the cookies are set and begin to show a few cracks. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing from the pans and serving. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Yield: About 4 dozen cookies

Recipe courtesy of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copied with permission.