cook’s illustrated’s perfect chocolate chip cookies

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If you’re at all familiar with my blog, you must have known that I would be all over Cooks Illustrated’s new chocolate chip cookie recipe. Not because it might become my new favorite – I knew beforehand that it wouldn’t. The thing is, I’m a major cookie dough eater. To me, the baked cookies are just a bonus dessert; the dough is the reason I make chocolate chip cookies. And I don’t like dough made with melted butter.

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No, the real reason I wanted to try this recipe is because it has some interesting tricks in it, and I thought I might learn something. First, a portion of the butter is browned. Then the sugar is mixed into the melted butter and left to set for 10 minutes, which apparently dissolves the sugars and gives them more opportunity to caramelize in the oven.

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It also makes the recipe very easy – you just melt the butter, whisk in a few more ingredients, let it set, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Divide the dough into 16 portions and bake.

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Here are, for me, the things the recipe has against it. 1) The dough has a greasy texture from the melted butter. 2) It uses portions of eggs. This is a pet peeve of mine, because I hate having containers of egg parts in my freezer or refrigerator. For something I make as often as chocolate chip cookies, I’d rather use whole eggs. 3) It doesn’t use a stand mixer. Dude, stand mixers are fun. That’s why everyone these days has one.

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You may have noticed that none of my complaints take issue with the outcome of the baked cookie? That’s because the cookies were really good. This wasn’t a side-by-side comparison, so it’s hard for me to say exactly where they stand in my chocolate chip cookie rating, but they’re certainly in the upper echelon of chocolate chip cookies. So if you’re normal, and all you want out of your chocolate chip cookie recipe is really good cookies without a lot of effort, then definitely check this recipe out. It’s certainly up there with Alton Brown’s popular The Chewy and the NY Times recipe.

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One year ago: Spinach Feta Pine Nut Tart and Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Cook’s Illustrated May/June 2009)

Note from Bridget: The recipe makes large cookies in an effort to maximize the difference in texture between the crisp exterior and the tender center. However, I prefer small cookies. I tried baking both sizes, and preferred the texture of the smaller cookies anyway. They still had a great mix of textures. If you do this, you’ll want to reduce the baking time to 7-9 minutes.

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whish for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use a #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

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Comments

  1. Can’t go wrong with eating a good cookie dough!! And then saving some for the actual baked product 😉 Glad that they truly were worth baking!!

  2. Nicely done!

  3. I think the cookie looks perfect! Too bad about the dough, though, because I’m also a dough eater! 🙂

  4. Those look amazing! I’m with you on the dough though – it’s the best part of making chocolate chip cookies!

  5. I put these on my list to make last week – they look incredible!

  6. The dough was totally edible! I accidentally put in the extra white and so added the yolk and a little extra flour, the dough was toatally edible and the batter wasn’t too buttery either, I love the carmelized flavor, thanks for sharing! I too am on the ultimate chocolate chip cookie search, there’s two on my blog that are up there on the list for me. http://somemarvelousmunchies.blogspot.com/2009/03/ccc-this-is-my-newest-favorite.html
    http://somemarvelousmunchies.blogspot.com/2009/01/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies-these.html
    Thanks!

  7. I don’t like melted butter either and I totally agree about the stand mixer.. that’s why we have one, b/c it is fun and makes for better textured desserts! The cookie looks great, I made these and mine didn’t turn out as I expected them to. They were a little cakey for me. I might have to try it again, but browning the butter is so much work.

  8. I saw this recipe in the latest CI issue and wondered how it stacked up. I am exactly the same way as you about eating cookie dough. Most of the time, I will make cookies just for the dough. I’ll bake a few to see how the final product turns out and for the blog, but I really just want the dough. You have beautiful pictures 🙂

  9. another cc recipe I must try…

  10. I just made these myself a few days ago! As a dough eater, I completely agree that it wasn’t the best dough for sampling, somewhat greasy – very disappointing. Although, the cooked cookies were quite good. Awesome post!

  11. I’m totally a dough eater. I like cookies, but the dough is the best part.

  12. No effort? Waiting 10 minutes for the butter and sugars to caramelize is too long! In 10 minutes you should be eating cookies! ☺

  13. I’d suggest leaving the butter out for two hours, or until room temperature. I absolutely love Christopher Kimball’s The Cook’s Bible and The Dessert Bible. He gives a lot of good tips on how to fillet fish (for example) and comparisons of various brands of mixers and what type of bowl is the best. It’s a very large, thick book if you buy the two together, but I find it was absolutely worth it.

  14. Ah, sorry. Wish you could edit comments. I meant to mention that’s where I got the tip from, and that it explains a lot of other hints and experiments he’s done to try and get more perfect cookies.

  15. Those cookies look wonderful and melted butter/sugar technique sounds interesting.

  16. Trying a new cc cookie recipe is never a bad thing!!

  17. I love making CCC. I should try this one. Great pictures.

  18. Those cookies look amazingly chewy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!

  19. Is this an update to their previous chocolate chip cookie recipe? I think the proportions all look the same, I just don’t remember the step about melting part of the butter, browning it, and then stirring in the remaining butter. Interesting, I will have to give it a try! And I gotta say, I almost always make cookies just for the dough factor so you are not alone there. But regaring the mixer? Well, I think I have come to the conclusion that stand mixers are just not ideal for most cookies! It’s sad when you don’t get to use it, but there’s more satisfaction around mixing by hand to get just the right consistency 🙂

  20. bridget says:

    Cara – It is different from their previous “Thick and Chewy” recipe, although there are some similarities.

  21. Yeah, those were some of the things that turned me off from this recipe. Your photos are great.

  22. Hi Bridget,

    I also tried the old Thick and Chewy recipe from the Baker’s Illustrated book and didn’t like it quite as much as the other ‘famous’ cookie recipes. At the moment, the NY Times one is my go-to recipe, so I’m excited to try this one for the sake of ‘changing -it-up’ 🙂
    I am thinking about refrigerating this dough so that when the cookie bakes up, it will retain a nice thickness (like the NY Times recipe). Do you think this is a good idea? I just fear baking up flat pancake-esque cookies.

    Cheers,
    SC

  23. bridget says:

    SC – I didn’t refrigerate the dough for the first batch (the big cookies pictured), and I don’t think they’re pancake-like. However, you certainly could if you want them even thicker.

  24. Thanks Bridget. I’ll give them a whirl with some refrigerating time and let you know how they go. Also, in an attempt to recreate the famous Levain chocolate chip cookies from NYC, here are two recipes I found floating around in the blog-o-sphere. Perhaps you could consider adding these to your ‘chocolate chip cookie comparison’:

    Chocolate chip cookies (Yields 1 dozen cookies)
    Several people have asked about the molasses and the high proportion of white sugar. One cup of brown sugar is actually equivalent to one cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup molasses.

    Ingredients
    8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
    8 ounces (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
    3 ounces (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) brown sugar
    2 eggs
    4 ounces (1/3 cup) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
    18 ounces (4 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon Kosher salt
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    12 ounces (2 cups) Valrhona® extra dark bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

    Directions
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle, cream together butter and sugars until well-blended and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well-incorporated, then add molasses, flour, salt, and baking soda and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chunks. Transfer dough to clean work surface and divide into 12 equal portions. Place each on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in oven 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Let cool on rack and store in airtight container.

    Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies with Instant Yeast
    4 ounces unsalted butter, room temp or slightly cold
    6 tablespoons granulated sugar
    6 tablespoons dark brown sugar, but light okay too (used dark)
    1 large egg
    1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
    1 1/2 cups BREAD flour (6 1/2 oz) – weigh if possible. If no scale, scoop and sweep
    1/4 teaspoon Instant Yeast (sometimes called fast-acting)
    2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
    1/3 to 1/2 cup barely chopped, untoasted walnuts

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
    1. Beat butter and both sugars just until they come together. Don’t over-beat. Add the egg and salt; beat just until mixed.
    2 Mix together the flour and instant yeast. When thoroughly mixed, add to batter and stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. The dough should be neither sticky nor dry.
    3 Divide dough into four large mounds, but keep the mounds kind of raggedy. That is, don’t smash them into compact balls or try to smooth them.
    4 Bake for 10 minutes on an ungreased insulated cookie sheet or a cookie sheet stacked on top of another cookie sheet. After 10 minutes, without opening the oven, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear set and nicely browned all over. Total bake-time 18-20 minutes.
    5 Cool on sheet for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
    Makes 4 phantomtasticly big cookies

    Cheers
    SC

  25. oh and this one seems to be making quite a bit of headway:
    http://lisamichele.wordpress.com/2008/05/28/my-much-talked-about-levain-bakery-copycat-cookie-recipes/

    anyway, off I bake!

    Cheers,
    SC
    p.s. I adore your photographs… such a feast for the eyes 🙂

  26. Humph, I don’t have a stand mixer and given my job woes it’s not likely I’ll get one (except via eBay maybe) for a long while 🙁 The cookies do look delicious, though I’m always peeved at CI for their recipe revisions. “Last time’s was perfect, but this NEW recipe is MORE perfect! We tested it!!!” and all that. Grrr!

  27. oh, these look amazing. craving cookies now…

  28. Kendall says:

    The point of Cook’s Illustrated has never been to create recipes that are quick and easy, but instead the point is to create a great recipe that does it right. I’ve made this recipe twice so far and I think the flavor of the brown butter is indispensable. Plus, browning butter is not hard…some people are just lazy. The joy of baking is not about speed (if so, then why not just buy a log of cookie dough), the fun is all about the process. This recipe makes us think about the cookies, and you can really taste all the though that goes into them.

  29. I would do anything to have a batch of those cookies right now! They look so gooey and good!

  30. These cookies are DEFINATLEY the best I’ve ever made.
    Its even better than the New York Times Cookie!!

  31. Bridget, thanks for posting this recipe. I buy the CI Annual Editions every year, and didn’t want to spend the $6 on one mag just for this recipe NOW. I have one question – how big did you make the smaller cookies; what size scoop did you use to make ethe smaller cookies? I agree with you, I like the smaller size, 2-3 bites and gone.
    Thanks!

  32. bridget says:

    MrsM – I used a 2 teaspoon (or size 60) scoop. It seemed tiny at first, but it’s actually pretty perfect.

  33. Thanks, Bridget. I like them bite sized as well.

    MrsM

  34. I made these today, the flavor is very good, extremely good. I think browning the butter and upping the brown sugar really is an improvement. I would cut back on the sugar just a bit next time. A keeper. The mixing technique is strange as cookies go, but it worked beautifully. The large cookies would be 2.2 ounces dough each. I have a #30 disher, not a #24, but the dough by weight worked out to 2.2 ounces per cookie at 16 per batch. I only made 1/2 batch, which is also easy. The egg works out fine – use one yolk and enough white to make 1.2 ounces total of egg, so you are only using part of one egg. I think they need more chips, though, you can never have enough chips.

  35. bridget says:

    MrsM – Great analysis, thanks! I love weight measurements, so that part is really helpful. I do have to disagree with on the chips thing though – I love the dough part of the cookie, personally. 🙂

  36. I made these cookies the day CI hit my mailbox and was expecting great things. I loved the texture, chewiness and the size, but tasting the dough made me realize I would not like the finished product. I mean, really, how can you mess up the best cookie in the world? By browning the butter. They said they were looking for a “toffee” flavor which browning the butter was supposed to accomplish, but I found the taste bitter and distracting. After going on a quest to find my own “perfect” recipe and trying 3 others, including Alton Brown’s, I returned to this recipe and made it just melting the butter, not browning it. BINGO! These are now my favorite cookie.

  37. I couldn’t agree more, the cookie dough is the best part and greasy cookie dough is no good! Have you ever had the cookies at Specialties bakery in San Francisco? They are the BEST, probably because they are a baked cookie that most retains the flavor of the pure unbaked dough. I have not made these yet but plan too soon, they are supposedly similar:
    http://askville.amazon.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe-Specailty-Bakery/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=104964

  38. Jennifer says:

    Has anyone successfully made these cookies with a whole, unrefined flour? So far I’ve tried sorgum (ok), Pamela’s baking mix (spread like a bad rash), brown rice and potato starch (again, flatter than a pancake) and haven’t found a healthier equivalent to the all-purpose. I know it’s only just over a cup but I’m trying to use unrefined products in my baking. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

  39. bridget says:

    Jennifer – What are your feelings about whole wheat pastry flour? I’ve seen that used in place of all-purpose flour in a lot desserts.

  40. Jennifer says:

    Bridget,
    Thanks for your reply. I am not opposed to whole wheat pastry flour. Do you think I could use it 1:1? I just tried spelt and oat flour and they tasted much better but were still greasy (I’m assuming b/c of the large amount of butter) and spread thinner than the original. I wonder if cutting down on the butter by 4T and increasing the flour a bit might help. Any thoughts? Thanks again.

  41. bridget says:

    Jennifer – I’ve never personally substituted whole wheat pastry flour for regular flour in a dessert, but I think 1:1 would work. Increasing the flour would definitely help prevent spreading. You might also try chilling the dough. Good luck!

  42. Elizabeth says:

    These cookies were the best!! It reinforces my love for Cook’s Illustrated recipes and cookbooks. Only problem, and minor at that, I wasn’t able to get the butter to brown. I didn’t want it to burn, so perhaps I had the heat too low? After nearly 10min. on the stove, I just added it as is. The cookies were still terrific!

  43. Paula says:

    I’ve been looking for the “Best Chocolate Chip Cookie” recipe, and thankfully have found it here! These cookies came out GREAT!! Thank you for the great photos!
    God Bless You!
    : )

  44. Barbarainnc says:

    I made these today, followed the directions, but the cookies were flat and greasy. 🙁 🙁
    I’ll still eat them, but they weren’t perfect !!!

    Barbara

  45. By far the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made. If you follow the instructions exactly, they come out perfect everytime and have such a nice, complex flavor. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  46. I’ve never tried a cookie recipe using browned butter — this is going to go on the to-bake list. (I am with you on the portions-of-eggs, though — I guess I’ll plan to have an omelet for dinner after making the cookies…)

  47. Nickie says:

    I love ccc. I have made so many different recipes in hopes of finding “the perfect ccc”. My neighbor brought over some ccc and told me that they were the CI’s recipe and they were delicious! I googled “CI”s ccc” and found your site. I made the cookies as directed but I did add some finely grounded oatmeal (my kids don’t like the texture of oatmeal so I have to grind them up! And no I did not adjust any of the ingredients). I took my time and melted the butter, which smelled amazing! I baked half the batch and rolled the other batch into small balls and froze them. The fresh batch came out great! The flavor is wonderful. The texture was perfect. Soon enough the batch of ccc was gone. Few days later I took the frozen batch and stuck them in the fridge to thaw out. Once they were thawed I flattened the balls out with my palm and stuck them in the oven. I nearly melted to my knees when I tasted my first cookie. It was spectacular! For some reason it came out better then the fresh batch. Could it be that the mixture needed to settle and the butter back to a solid? Who knows! But thank you so much for this amazing recipe. I will be baking a double batch, rolling them into balls and freezing them for a quick snack. Yes it did take time to make the cookies but it was so worth every minute. I will never make another ccc recipe again. I have found THE ONE.
    For those who are curious, the oatmeal made it a little bit more…. hmmmm…… what’s the word…. thicker… firmer? It wasn’t as flat as what some has described. Nor was it oily. Perfect is what comes to mind.
    Thanks again Bridget.

  48. Definitely trying these! Those pictures look amazing.

  49. beatrice says:

    I wanted to see what others were saying about this recipe and found your site. I do agree about the taste of the dough. I have made this recipe about 10 times now and think the bigger the cookie, the better the taste and texture (although I DO agree that I prefer smaller cookies in general). I wanted to see if anybody has frozen the dough, defrosted and had good cookies. I tried this once but thought the cookies were not nearly as good- but I don’t know if I messed up something in the recipe or it really was the freezing of the dough… Anyone?

  50. julie says:

    I have the CI issue that contains this recipe. Just tried the recipe for the first time and the dough was crumbly. i think i followed the recipe correctly…? i just ended up with a big bowl of bread crumbs.

    anyway, i just wanted to vent. your cookies look delicious. i guess my friend will just have to get deformed cookies for his birthday.

  51. bridget says:

    julie – I just can’t imagine why your dough is so dry… You used large eggs? And the right amount of butter? Did you measure the flour by volume or weight? Volume measurements can be a little inaccurate, so maybe you ended up with too much flour? I’m sorry they weren’t perfect for you!

  52. Peter says:

    Hi,

    Love your site which I found today, thanks for doing this.

    Can someone define chewy for me?
    Does that mean chewy as in a thick oatmeal cookie that you can buy in stores?

    Or does that mean chewy like toffee chewy, a sticky like texture that comes from caramelized sugars?

  53. bridget says:

    Peter – Definitely more like an oatmeal cookie than like toffee or something.

  54. Patty says:

    This is because you over browned the butter. I do not have a lot of experience browning butter, but from what I’ve read there is a fine line between when it is just right and when it is overdone.

    I’ve made this recipe 3 times and love it. I came online to find the recipe because I wanted to make them tonight and am not finding the issue where I got it from. Thank you for having it here for me!

    Someone else mentioned cooking because you love cooking – for the experience. I really don’t like cooking. I’ll never be someone who does. This recipe however is worth the time for me. When you get it right it is awesome.
    ———————
    They said they were looking for a “toffee” flavor which browning the butter was supposed to accomplish, but I found the taste bitter and distracting.

  55. James says:

    You should try the Brown Butter Muscovado chocolate chip cookies from Underbelly. Best I’ve had. Best anyone who’s had them has had. You still have to separate an egg, but you get to use your stand mixer …
    http://www.under-belly.org/recipes/chocolate_chip_cookies.pdf

    Patty, if you’re getting bitter flavors, it’s from over-browning the butter.

  56. Kirsten says:

    Wonderful cookies. Came out perfectly!

  57. karel says:

    Hearing somebody admit to liking the cookie dough better than the cookies took me back to college. We did some serious cookie dough eating there, sometimes under the influence of pot. Our household voted wheaties cookie dough the best ever. You get the brown sugar/ butter combo, with the added bonus of crunch from the wheaties. Yum!

  58. Tried these at a friends housewarming part the other day and just HAD to get the recipe.

    I’m also a dough person and found that letting th dough sit a bit longer, it was still good for a bit of a nibble. The cookies, of course, amazing.

  59. I’ve made these cookies twice and will again today. They are yummy and your pictures and comments are accurate and I love your site!

  60. I love how you not only school us on how to cook but why to cook differently.

    I won’t ever make cookies the toll house way again (nor with Toll House morsels if I can help it!)

  61. This is a great recipe. I’ve made them several times. Thanks for lifting from Cook’s Illustrated!

  62. they look so good thank you for that …. i’ll try this one..

  63. Great post! I love cookies and I am glad that i’ve found this article and read the recipe. Thank you. I really love it. It helped me a lot. Good work!

  64. Thank you for this! Someone else also recommended this recipe to me and I am going to try it. A couple questions. Do you think you could use a stand mixer anyway (whisk attachment to whisk, paddle to mix in flour) or does it just need to be done by hand? Also do you think making smaller cookies, like scooping with a tablespoon, would come out right?

  65. bridget says:

    Lyn – The last picture (below the recipe) is of small cookies, and the doughballs in the 5th picture down are also about tablespoon-sized. Supposedly you lose something of the range of texture from crisp at the edges to soft in the center, but I thought the cookies were just as great when they were smaller.

    You can definitely use the stand mixer to do the stirring for you. I think a lot of recipes think they’re making your life easier by not requiring the mixer, but I’m like you – I’d just as soon have the machine do the work for me.

  66. I have been made this recipe several times and everyone says they are the best they’ve had. It really is easier to do this recipe without a mixer – and melting the butter is not a huge step and is totally worth it in the end. I also make my cookies a bit smaller than the recipe calls for and they still come out great.

  67. Heajin says:

    This was awsome!!! They came out exactly what I expected to be. It was really simple to follow and the smell of the browned butter was sooooo amazing! However, the crispy edges were not what I was looking for. I hope the cookies were rather soft than chewy. But it was worth making it!

  68. Jacquelin Powers says:

    I found that turning the oven down by 25 degrees really helped my cookies from being cakey and more flat. Also they recommend making sure your baking soda is fresh as this really helps the cookie rise correctly. i find that browning butter saves me time than mixxing it, while the butter is browning I get the other ingriedents measure and while the butter is carmelizing the sugar I watch tv or check email. So it saves me alot of time. And btw I do use my mixer with this recipe, as long as you don’t overmix the end result dough, it still works very well!

  69. Mmm, these cookies look so delicious, they aren’t like those hockey puck cookies you get all the time and those skimpy ones they try to sell you in the store. The pictures make the recipe even better. It guides me as I prepared to make this classic cookie. It was a recipe I would never be able to mess up, so thanks!

  70. Daniel Esteban says:

    Hmm Yammy yammy in my stomy . these cookies is a sight for the eye…
    Are they made with ecological products

    Daniel Esteban
    http://www.environmentinfocus.com

  71. Just a thought that the heat from the butter might affect the baking soda and make the cookies flatter than wanted. Something similar happened to me when making pancakes. I’ve been using a mix recommened by a Cooks taste test. (Hungry Jack Buttermilk Complete). All you add is water. (I add vanilla extract to the water for more interesting flavor.) I’ve always used cool tap water until one day when I decided to use very warm water I had left on the stove from boiling water for tea. The pancakes didn’t rise as much as usual. I never used warm water again and I never had that problem repeated.
    I’m looking forward to making this cookie recipe with the browned butter but I’m going to let the butter cool off before I add the flour and baking soda.

  72. Gene Park says:

    Great recipe! a note; 1 3/4 cup is 14 oz, not 8 3/4

  73. bridget says:

    Gene Park – 1 3/4 cup is 14 volume ounces, but I’m referring to weight ounces in the recipe.

  74. Nick P. says:

    Those cookies look delicious! Swing by the USPS Facebook page and share your recipe! on.fb.me/ujGGtE

  75. I just posted a bunch of Christmas cookie recipes that are heirlooms!

  76. Caralyn says:

    Made ’em, love ’em! Browning the butter gives them an underlying flavor of penuche frosting…the flavor you detect, but can’t quite put your finger on. As for the initial comments regarding greasy, partial egg, and no stand mixer, c’mon now. They’re NOT greasy, put in two whole eggs (problem solved), and use a little muscle to whisk it all together. Other hints: use all brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and refrigerate between batches. I’m with Kendall…the fun and reward is in the baking. My husband loved them on Valentine’s Day. You will too! c.

  77. Caralyn says:

    An add-on: I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips; and Trader Joe’s c.c. are good too. I find Nestle’s a bit waxy with Hershey’s being a bit better. You’ll see. Chilling dough and good chips make a difference. Chilled dough helps the cookies keep their shape, as well as, the chips will melt in the oven, not in the mixing bowl. c. ; )

  78. I just tried this recipe on a friend’s recommendation and was greatly disappointed. The cookies spread like pancakes and i had to remedy it by adding another half cup of flour.

  79. Jean B says:

    Love these cookies and super easy. First batch puffy and high. Second and third batches not quite so high. Solution: refrigerate dough between batches.

  80. Jean B says:

    Made two batches and loved the taste. Stayed high and were chewy yet crisp on outside. Problem: chips melted I to bowl with both bathes. Guess I will let batter cool longer before adding?

  81. Jean B says:

    Made two batches and loved the taste. Stayed high and were chewy yet crisp on outside. Problem: chips melted into bowl with both bathes. Guess I will let batter cool longer before adding?

  82. Ashley says:

    Made these this week and they are AMAZING! I’ve been searching for the perfect thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie and I think this is it! Do you think refrigerating the dough overnight would hurt it at all? Thinking of making a double batch but baking half tomorrow for a get together.

  83. bridget says:

    Ashley – You can definitely refrigerate it overnight, but you’ll need to let it soften a bit before scooping it into cookies.

  84. They were cakey and puffy. That does not constitute the best chocolate cookie. Period.

  85. Mary Ann says:

    Thanks to all your chocolate chip cookie making, finding recipes to make and compare for my sons science project was a cinch. This was the fave by far! We made The Chewy, NYT, C I’s Thick and Chewy, and Martha Stewart’s basic Ccc. I love your notes and pictures. Great post!

  86. I was lost at 1-3/4 sticks of unsalted butter – why do 16 cookies require so much butter?! It’s the same with most recipes I try, either lots of butter or lots of shortening – neither of which I feel excited about eating. I guess it’s a necessity, but … anyway, your cookies look delish and your pics are amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    Mary

  87. It’s now my to-go recipe! Yum! 🙂

  88. Denise says:

    I know I am late but I am trying and will come back with the results. I wish there was a pin button on here. Denise in SC!!

  89. Denise – There’s a small pin button at the bottom of the post. I guess I should look for something easier to find.

  90. Denise says:

    me cookie was flat….but I like the burnt butter taste. It gives it a deeper tone….like bourbon without the alcohol taste. So I have dough left over and so I stuck in the fridge and I will cook some more in about 2 hrs and I will get back with you.

  91. Sonya says:

    I enjoyed reading your post and all of the comments. I personally love these cookies. I bombed them the first time by forgetting to add the salt, I think – whoops! Second time we loved them, and the third time I made them, I did them side by side with 7 other chocolate chip cookie recipes (yes, I am that crazy) to find our favorite. This was it. I just love the taste of the browned butter, and the texture. Everyone loves different things in a chocolate chip cookie, but for me, this nails it. I love chocolate, but my favorite thing is the dough, and I don’t like that overpowered by huge chunks of chips; my favorite are the Trader Joe’s semisweet chocolate chips. Anyway, I’m gonna make these cookies again tomorrow, and then use some of them to make a recipe from the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Dessert Book for Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Layer Cake: just bake up two giant cookies in cake pans (I’ll use 6″ minis), fill with a generous layer of homemade vanilla ice cream, frost the whole thing with homemade whipped cream, and garnish with chocolate sauce. Happy Baking everyone!