The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies?

Like many people who enjoy baking, I'm constantly on the lookout for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I like my cookies to be pretty soft and chewy, and full of chocolate. Buzzfeed did a nice series on different kinds of chocolate chip cookie recipes a while back, and I finally got around to trying the one "best" / "classic" one!

I used a 1/4 cup to measure out portions, and real talk, these were some of the biggest cookies I've ever made. For personal preference, in the future I would probably use a smaller size, since the bigger ones take a longer bake time (and therefore come out with a more crispy edge.) I personally really like cookies that are soft throughout, so that might be more achievable with a smaller size. That said, they are some of the most photogenic cookies I've ever made! The way they rose in the oven and then wrinkled perfectly as they cooled - definitely look like they could be from a bakery :)

I didn't have a chance to age the dough as Lindsay suggested, though I would definitely be interested in trying that sometime in the future. Also, this is the first time I bought fancy salt! 

Look at this fanciness. This $6.99 for 8.5oz fanciness.

I went with some delicious dark chocolate chips from Guittard for the chocolate, and this recipe definitely calls for what I would consider an *appropriate* quantity! I decided to make a batch and a half, and ended up getting 32 cookies total.

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie 

adapted from Buzzfeed

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (8 oz/226g)

1¼ cups packed light brown sugar (9 oz/250g)

¾ cup granulated sugar (6 oz/175g)

2½ cups all-purpose flour (10.5 oz/300g)

¾ teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

12-ounce bag (2 cups) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt 

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Whisk both sugars in a large bowl and add the melted butter. Whisk until the mixture forms one mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. 

3. Whisk in one egg to the sugar-butter mixture, stirring until it's fully mixed in, then whisk in the second egg.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir with the spatula to fully combine. Stir in the chocolate chips.

To bake right away: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Refrigerate the dough for at least 10 minutes while the oven preheats, then scoop the dough in 2-ounce portions with a cookie scoop (or you can measure out ¼ cup scoops) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake the cookies 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet (about 6 cookies per baking sheet) for 10 to 14 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookie is beginning to turn golden brown throughout. 

To bake after the dough rests: Scoop the dough into 2-ounce portions with a cookie scoop (or you can measure out ¼ cup scoops) and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Wrap the baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days. You can also freeze the chilled balls of dough in an airtight zip-top bag for up to 1 month.

Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Sprinkle the dough with flaky sea salt and bake 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 12 to 16 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookie is beginning to turn golden brown throughout. 

These are delicious fresh out of the oven, once cooled down enough to handle. The edges are super crispy and the chocolate still gooey - heaven! In terms of eating them over the next few days, I would have definitely preferred a shorter bake time for an overall softer/chewier texture. Will definitely have to try a couple of their other recipes, namely the "Bakery" or "Cakey" styles!