Previously Unreleased…. the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies :)

I love creating and revising recipes. I think that’s my favorite part of baking. I typically will only make someone else’s recipe once before I go to town making changes. For example… I LOVED the Oreo Bark that I got from How Sweet Eats. So, this week when I made more to bring to Arizona I made it Peanut  Butter Oreo Bark by mixing some brown sugar and peanut butter into the white chocolate. I was stupid to make it a week before I leave for AZ because at this point I’m not sure it will make it there 😉 In addition to the bark, I am bringing those Ginger Molasses Cookies that I made for Christmas – downsized to 2 oz balls for better packing purposes, and my very best Chocolate Chip Cookies that I have shown before but never posted a recipe for!

I often don’t post recipes for the product that I sell. However, I really don’t think that I want to be a professional baker anymore. I love sharing my products, but making the same recipes over and over lost its fun for me. As I said above, I LOVE LOVE LOVE coming up with new recipes. When I’m selling, I don’t have time to create new recipes, and my customers expect the same products. So, with that, I will be posting some of my previously unreleased recipes in posts to come!

When I first worked on my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I started with this recipe from My Baking Addiction. I started off with her recipe, and then for batch 2, I made some changes. I love using some dark brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies, so I changed to a combination of light and dark brown sugar, and regular granulated sugar. I also like a little more salt in my cookies, so I increased that a touch as well. Then, I tried to think about something different that would give a little warmth and comfort to the cookies – maple extract. HOLY YUM!  There is something about the touch of maple that just gives the cookie a homey, comforting edge. I also think this addition would lend well to adding some walnuts or pecans. I haven’t tried it yet because my family is anti-nut in cookies (what!?!?), but I need to try that soon as I believe it would be out of this world! So… onto the cookies! Recipe will be at the end of the post.

Ingredients – out and ready!

I started by weighing out my dry ingredients and whisking them together.  Then, I weighed out the chocolate chips and added a spoonful of the dry mixture to coat them. I find this helps the chocolate chips to stay mixed in the final dough instead of sinking to the bottom.

Then, I weighed out the sugars, and added cubed COLD butter to the mix.

Cream it! This takes a while because the butter is cold. Just walk away for a few if you have to.

Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix well between each.

The eggs will help the dough get fluffy and smooth!

Add in the extracts.

Mix it up!

Then, add in the dry mixture. I do this in about 3 additions, mixing until just combined each time.

Then, mix in those chips – either on low or by hand. Then, wrap the dough in plastic wrap.

I always chill my dough before I bake. I truly think it helps to have cold dough if you want a really doughy cookie! I chill for at least several hours (4-6), and if possible overnight. I was able to chill the dough overnight this time. Then, I roll the dough into 45g dough balls (a little over 1.5 oz). I usually can fit about 8 – 9 on a large baking sheet lined with Silpat.

They usually take 14-16 minutes to bake. They will look caramel colored around the edges and underbaked in the middle.

Cool on the sheet for a few, and then cool completely on a wire rack. Or, you can always sneak one warm 😉

This is a cute pic, but I definitely need better backgrounds than my kitchen!

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (344 g)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (454 g)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (110 g)
1 cup light brown sugar (220 g)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, COLD and cubed
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple extract

1. Whisk together flour,  salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add a spoonful to the chocolate chips and stir to coat.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sugars and butter. Cream for several minutes until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition, the mixture will be paler and fluffy. Add in extracts and mix well. In 3 additions, add in the dry mixture. Mix until just combined with each addition. Slowly mix in the chocolate chips on low speed or by hand. Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350*. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. Weigh the dough into 45 g dough balls. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are caramel colored and the center looks slightly underbaked. Cool for about 8-10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

The edges of the cookies are a crisp, caramel flavor while the center stays chewy, soft, and doughy!!  They are simply the best 🙂

Coming soon…. a fitness post!

Happy New Year!!!! A little late, but I this is my first post of 2011!