These really are, The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever! I searched and searched to find a recipe that I really loved, and here it is. I didn't make this one up I'm afraid, all the praise goes to Emily, at Visions of Sugar Plums. Make sure to check out her blog and whip up as many recipes of hers as you can. She's won a bunch of contests that were well deserved :)
Chocolate Chip Cookies are not my favorite, but now that I've found this one, they've managed to get up in the top 5. The husband ate so many right out of the oven that he was sick, sick, sick, but very appreciative. Make sure to use top quality chocolate, it really makes a difference! The sprinkled salt kinda threw him, so he ate one without it just to see the difference. Hands down, sprinkled with salt is the way to go, really brings out the taste of the chocolate chunks (and make sure to leave your chunks nice and big).
The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever, adapted from Visions of Sugar Plums
½ cup unsalted butter (browned)
2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp kosher salt, plus additional for sprinkling
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
½ sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate (60%)
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1. Melt ½ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; continue to cook the butter, whisking frequently until it starts to brown and foam, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
2. Beat softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium until well combined and grainy. Beat in browned butter for an additional minute. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate and walnuts with a wooden spoon. Spoon dough onto a large piece of wax paper; chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or about 40 minutes in the freezer. If you prefer, roll dough into a log about ½ - 2 inches wide.
3. Preheat oven to 375°. Generously butter one cookie sheet. Drop up to ¼ cup measures of dough onto cookie sheet, forming into large mounds and flatten slightly. (If you rolled into a log, slice cookies about ½ - ¾ inches). Bake for about 11-14 minutes, or until golden brown around edges. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire wrack.
4. Sprinkle lightly with extra kosher salt.
Tips:
1. Only cook 1 cookie sheet at a time.
2. Use cold butter to butter your cookie sheets
3. Refrigerate dough between each batch, do not allow your dough to warm at all.
Mmm, the smell of the spices that have filled my kitchen this morning have had my mouth watering. I don't begin to know why, but I have been craving these cookies for weeks now and this morning decided to give up the fight. I had molasses on hand, so fighting was a lost cause. I've only ever made these for Christmas, I make a batch for the family, then make tons to give out with gifts...that's why today, it's Christmas in July!
These cookies have chew and crunch like no body's business! My mom has been making a variety of these since I was a little girl, but hers were always too chewy (almost gooey) and the molasses flavor could knock your socks off. This past Christmas I was able to perfect the recipe, FINALLY to something I think will appeal to everyone. It's chewy and spicing with a mild, yet distinct molasses flavor... ENJOY!
Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger
1/2 cup sugar for rolling
1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger, and salt. Place ½ cup sugar on a plate to roll your cookie dough balls in.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms. Add candied ginger and mix until combined, being careful not to over mix.
3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each about 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until cookies puff and turn a golden brown, edges of cookies should be slightly darker, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 2-3 minutes on baking sheets; transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Tips:
1. Do not under cook or your cookies will be mushy. The cookies should puff 2-3x the end size, then start to flatten almost immediately once removed from the oven.
2. Cook them one sheet at a time. I know this takes a lot longer, but it is the only way to even cook them and get a nice cracked cookie.
Your dough will look something like this.
You can refrigerate your dough (or freeze) to use at a later date, this is especially helpful at Christmas time, but I recommend the dough be room temperature when you're actually ready to bake. It makes for a stickier dough, but you'll prefer the end result.
Roll the balls around in the sugar until they're well coated, this will help with the 'cracking' effect.
These cookies are awesome dipped in fresh whipped cream, or you can make Molasses Ice Cream Cookies... this was a first for me, but O-M-G they were awesome!
We all have a favorite, for most of you it's the Chocolate Chip Cookie (best recipe for that some other time!), for me though, hands down my fave is the Oatmeal Cookie. I've tried and tried some really great recipes over the years, and some huge flops, one even melted right off the cookie sheet and burnt in the bottom of my oven, yike! This time, I decided to reach very deep for some culinary inspiration and go it alone. The basis for every Oatmeal Cookie is pretty much the same for every recipe, so I didn't exactly reinvite it or anything, just changed it up and put my little mark on it :)
White Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
1/2 cup unsalted butter, browned
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
3 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2-2 cups dried cranberries (Craisins)
1 white chocolate bar (high quality is best), chopped
1/2 cup walnuts chopped (optional)
1. Beat eggs and vanilla in a small mixing bowl, add dried cranberries. Allow cranberries to rehydrate for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. Do not skip this step!
2. Brown 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cool in the refrigerator while you wait for the cranberries to finish plumping up.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F
4. Cream butters and sugars with mixer, stand mixer is best as you should cream for about 2-3 minutes. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, kosher salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Slowly add your dry ingredients into your cream mixture, scraping sides of bowl as needed, making sure there are no dry patches, but do not over mix. Add in your egg/cranberry mixture, mix on low until just combined.
5. Using a wooden spoon, mix in oats, combining well. Fold in your chocolate and nuts.
6. Refrigerate your dough for about 5-10 minutes
7. Spoon small-medium sized balls onto wax paper covered cookie sheets. Bake cookies for approximately 12 minutes, turning once during cooking. Cookies are done when they are light brown and begin to lose their glossy look. I recommend baking them 1 sheet at a time! Allow to cool for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire wrack. Yields: Approximately 30 good sized cookies.
brown butter: Cook butter over medium heat until it turns brown and foams, about 3-5 minutes, whisking frequently.
