A warm chocolate chip cookie and a cold glass of milk.
You can finish the sentence “Love is…” in so many ways, but I remember few things from my childhood as vividly as coming home from school to a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of milk. Ah, the blessings of having a mom who cooks for a living and works at home.
So when a friend of mine lost her grandmother recently, I was trying to figure out how to send some love from afar. Since food is love for me (despite what psychologists might say), I whipped up a batch of my mom’s amazing chocolate chip cookies and FedEx-ed them.
The simple process of baking these cookies was so familiar, so therapeutic for me, that I made them the next day to bring to the church picnic. Guess I’m all about spreading the love…one cookie at a time.
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 14 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flavorless oil, such as vegetable or canola
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups chocolate chips or 8 ounces good-quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate bar, cut into ¼-inch chunks (or 1 cup each chocolate chunks or chips and 1 cup toasted nuts)
- Mix flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix eggs, vanilla, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Microwave butter on high power until just melted but not hot, 30 to 45 seconds; set aside.
- Mix brown and granulated sugars. Add butter and oil; stir until smooth. Add egg mixture; stir until smooth and creamy. Add dry ingredients; stir to form a smooth dough. Stir in chocolate and optional nuts.
- Using a large spoon (I like my 2-tablespoon coffee scoop), spoon 24 dough balls onto a pan that will fit in your freezer. (Don’t worry if the dough balls are too crowded. They pull apart when frozen.) Freeze until dough is hard, about 30 minutes. (Once dough balls are frozen, they can be stored in freezer bags up to 3 months and baked as desired.)
- Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Working in batches, place 8 or 9 frozen dough balls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake until set, but not brown, about 8 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake until cookies are golden brown around the edges and lightly brown on the top, about 8 minutes longer.
- Let cookies cool completely on cookie sheet or wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough balls. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight tin or container up to 5 days.)
I am always up for a cookie!
Love it, Sharon. I could use some of this kind of therapy tonight. *pulling eggs from the fridge*
Cookies are a great way of giving people a long-distance hug. Flowers too, but homemade cookies are very special. Love you! (Sorry there won’t be cookies to back up that sentiment in tomorrow’s mail: )
As a self proclaimed chocolate chip cookie connoiseur, this is my favorite recipe!! I have been making these ever since the cookbook came out, along with many other perfect recipes in CookSmart.
So why ‘bleached’ all- purpose flour? I prefer less chemicals/ processing and have only bought ‘unbleached’ my whole life. Any particular reason why ‘bleached’ is better here?
Hey Kate C,
I actually used unbleached. Fewer chemicals for me, too. I posted the recipe almost exactly from her book, so I’ll let Mom answer.
Some preliminary thoughts: It was written a while ago…before we started really thinking and hearing about chemicals and food. Bleached flour might make them a bit more tender?
But really, I doubt there is much difference. I’ve been making them with unbleached flour for years and they’re always excellent.
Thanks for asking! Hope Mom chimes in with the food science.
I love to bake, but have been trying to lose excess pounds lately…. but despite all that I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies for all of us to enjoy just a few days ago. The girls were thrilled when they got home from school to just baked, warm from the oven homemade cookies. It made me happy.
I’ve always tried to make a great chocolate cookie, but until I got Pam’s CookSmart cookbook did I finally find the perfect recipe! It’s puff and chewy in the middle and crispy around the edges. Cookie perfection!
Could not agree more! Milk and cookies are my kind of therapy.
A cookie recipe with no need for an electric mixer!
I’ve had great results with a similar melted butter technique in recipes by Alice Medrich- so easy, so good. I mix up the batter and leave it chilling in the fridge for fresh cookies at a moment’s notice (also freezes great). I’ve been using all whole wheat pastry flour in chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and they’ve been tender and delicious.
Looking forward to trying these puffy chewy crispies!
Hey Sharon/Kate C,
Pam here. When developing the recipe I found that bleached flour is a little lower protein than unbleached flour so you get a slightly more tender/crispy cookie. Feel free to riff off this!
I love cookies with milk,this blog reminded me osf chid days..
Thanks
________
Roger
Love these chocolaty cookies with cold milk..glad to come here following a tweet on twitter. Hopping to see that Strawberry pie 😉