Thursday, November 13, 2008

Cookie Carnival: The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies


Just when I think I've made the best chocolate chip cookie yet, along comes another fabulous recipe. I'm starting to think maybe there's no such thing as a bad chocolate chip cookie.

The lovely, Kate, from the Clean Plate Club, and our fearless Cookie Carnival leader has chosen The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies as this month's cookie. It comes from "In the Sweet Kitchen", by Regan Daley.


Mmmm, these were soft and chewy throughout. They held their shape and didn't flatten out, no doubt due to the large percentage of flour. These cookies contained the same basic amount of sugar, butter, and eggs as the famous Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, but they have almost a cup of flour more.

Anyway, they were delicious and perfect for dunking into an ice cold glass of milk. I sent most of them to one of the soldiers for Operation Baking Gals (I'll post about that later). I hope the soldiers enjoy them as much as I did.

(I'm not usually one to fall for nick-nacks and do-dads, but I couldn't resist buying this chicken, er, rooster (thanks, Vera!).)


The Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chunk Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
16 oz. flavorful bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or lightly butter them, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a large bowl if mixing by hand, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

3. Using your hands, shape knobs of dough about the size of a large walnut and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Stagger the rows of cookies to ensure even baking. Bake 12-15 for smaller cookies, 14-17 for larger ones or until the tops are a light golden brown. If the cookies are neither firm nor dark when they are removed from the oven, they will cool chewy and soft. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. If somehow they don't get inhaled immediately, they may be stored airtight at room temperature for up to one week.

22 comments:

Snooky doodle said...

These look nice. I ve tried them too and ended up eating more that I wish i had :)well done :)

Jin Hooi said...

looks good !! I like the chicken too ;-)) well done !!

Cathy said...

Love the chicken! These cookies look wonderful, and I will try them in my continuing quest to fine The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Pamela said...

Love the chicken!! I made these a few days ago and was really impressed by their thickness and that nice shape you commented on. I put them in the freezer for later consumption!! I have to get that post up. :o)

NKP said...

They were good, weren't they?
Love the photos, and I am jealous that you can still take pics outside.
I would have bought the chicken too, it is so great! Perfect for a country kitchen.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

haha--love the chicken! and the cookies look great, too!

Anonymous said...

At first glance, I almost thought the chicken was real :D!! Those cookies sound delicious, I like that they don't spread out, that means they'll hold milk nicely without crumbling when they're dunked -- very tasty! :)

Megan said...

I am anxious to make these again using real butter, because I prefer my cookies thick and chewy. I never stopped to think about the flour/butter ratio - too much math for my brain!

Tammy said...

I am going to baking these in the weekend, so I'm pleased to hear that they are a success!

grace said...

nicely done, jacque! i have a slightly twisted mind, and at first glance, it looked like your rooster took a cue from the hen and laid a couple cookies. :)

alexandra's kitchen said...

I totally have this cookbook and have not looked at it in ages. that's it — I'm not buying any more books or cooking magazines until I thoroughly inspect the resources i have. (i'm lying, of course.) These look so good!

Vera said...

Yummy cookies, Jacque! And very pretty rooster (or is it chicken?) :)

Bunny said...

I love chocolate chip cookies and have tried several recipes as well, I'll have to try this one too!

test it comm said...

Those ccc's look great!

Steph said...

The look really nice! I'm sure if I ever baked a recipe wiht so much flour, the cookies would end up rising up instead of spreading out at all.

Marthe said...

These sound like the perfect cookie: soft and chewy --> Yum!!

P.s. check out my Sinterklaas giveaway!

SugarEd Productions said...

Love me some CCC's! These looks divine and i love your chicken. I have an iron one similar in my kitchen!

Sandy said...

Love the chicken - but the cookies look sooo yummy!

Maria said...

Looks like a good cookie to me!

Unknown said...

your chicken picture looks so awesome... lol...

Anonymous said...

Can one ever have enough recipes for chocolate chip cookies? I love a soft chocolate chunk cookie. I am going to try your recipe, because the one I use is not quite what I want. These look great, they really do.

Theresa said...

I love the way these came out. Not FLAT :)