PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies image

What makes these cookies truly "perfect" isn't anything radical; it's simply an attention to detail. The pastry chef Ravneet Gill was meticulous in developing her recipe, and all of her instructions exist for a reason. When she tells you to chill your dough overnight, don't think you can skip over that. (If you do, your cookies will spread.) When she instructs you to roll the dough into balls before transferring them to the fridge to rest, do as she says, and you'll get a nice plump, domed cookie instead of a sad flat one. Don't go swapping in milk chocolate for dark, and chop the chocolate into large chunks for those dramatic, dense puddles of goo. One allowance: If you don't have Maldon salt, another flaky salt or even kosher salt will do.

Provided by Charlotte Druckman

Categories snack, cookies and bars, dessert

Time 12h30m

Yield 14 cookies

Number Of Ingredients 9

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Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened
Scant 3/4 cup/140 grams dark brown sugar
2/3 cup/110 grams superfine sugar
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons/250 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or kosher salt)
6 ounces/170 grams dark (bittersweet) chocolate, chopped into large chunks

Steps:

Put the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer or mixing bowl. Cream together using a paddle attachment on medium speed, a handheld electric whisk or a wooden spoon for 1 to 2 minutes until paler but not fluffy. (Do not mix for too long; if you beat the mixture until super light and fluffy, that will cause the cookie to deflate later when cooking.)
Add the egg and beat over medium speed until evenly combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (all the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt), then fold into the butter mixture using a rubber spatula until combined.
Add the chopped chocolate and fold into the dough until evenly distributed.
Immediately scoop out heaping 1/4-cup portions (about 60 grams), roll into balls and place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 12 hours. (If space is tight, you can condense them on one sheet before refrigerating then redistribute among two sheets before baking.)
The next day, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make sure the dough balls are evenly spaced out among two baking sheets, as they will spread. Bake the cookies for 13 minutes (or 15 minutes if baking from frozen), until the cookies are puffed and golden at the edges. You want the middle to be ever so slightly not-quite set.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet; they will continue firming up as they cool. Once cooled, eat! (These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The balls of dough will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the freezer.)