The Cook Next Door: Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jacques Torres's Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies
from marthastewart.com recipes

1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds best quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or non-stick baking mats; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.

Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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{cooks note}

These are by far the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have had to date. I made 3 different recipes for chocolate chip cookies in a 3 week span and decided to stop because these are the best. I am tired of all the recipes out there that end up cakey (one's with pudding, etc.) Those are fine, but these are better to me. Similar to the chocolate chippers at Paradise Bakery. My sister introduced me to this recipe a couple of years ago and I haven't looked back since. They are that good. The good news is, they freeze really well. I scoop them out (I use a 1 1/2" cookies scoop) and place them close together, but not quite touching, on a parchment lined baking sheet. I don't have a big enough freezer to fit my pan into freeze them, so I put the pan in the refrigerator (covered). A few hours later I transfer them to a zip lock bag. I used the empty bag from my chocolate chips that I had been saving from another recipe. It's one of the big bags you buy at Costco, so it fit a lot. When ready to cook, heat the oven to 375 and bake for 15 minutes. You might have to adjust the time according to how your oven cooks and your elevation. PLEASE READ: I did a test on the cookie dough. I baked a batch right after mixing them. They were good, but not that good. I then put them in the refrigerator and let them get nice and cold. I baked them and they were SO much better. The shape is better as well as the flavors. The fat (butter) has time to get really cold in the fridge, so when you bake them the fat is able to melt slower and disperse throughout the cookie. Trust me, they are good. They are equally as good coming out of the freezer to the oven too. This recipe makes a lot, so that is why I freeze almost the whole batch. When we have friends over or we are in the mood for cookies, I pull the bag out, place them on a cookies sheet, bake them and BAM we have homemade chocolate chip cookies in a cinch! You need to make sure you use pastry flour and bread flour. The only pastry flour I have been able to find is whole wheat pastry flour. I love the flavor and it makes the cookies a little more healthy, right? Just don't over cook them. The wheat in them will absorb a lot of moisture, so be sure to take them out just as they are starting to brown on the top. Oh, and please use a good quality chocolate like the recipe states.