A “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie

Jeff the Chef
"Chocolate Chip Cookies," from Make It Like a Man!

This recipe comes from a New York Times article, The “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie and the Chef Who Created It. That’s a big claim that I felt I had to test.

A "Perfect" Chocolate Chip Cookie
Print

A “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie

Makes

14

3½-inch cookies

Because preferences vary, I’m not sure any cookie can be described rightly as “perfect,” but this is certainly a great recipe.

Ingredients

  • 140g (½ cup + 2 Tbs) butter, softened

  • 140g (scant ¾ cup) brown sugar

  • 110g (⅔ cup) superfine sugar

  • ¾ tsp Maldon sea salt (or kosher salt)

  • 1 large egg

  • 250g (1¾ cups + 2 Tbs) all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • ¾ tsp baking soda

  • 140g (5 oz.) dark (bittersweet) chocolate, chopped into almond-sized chunks

Directions

  • Paddle the butter, both sugars, and the salt on speed 4 (of 10) just until perfectly combined. (Most recipes ask you do continue until the mixture is light and fluffy. Do not do that.)
  • Add the egg and paddle on speed 4 just until perfectly combined.
  • Whisk the flour, powder, and soda in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter mixture, and fold with a spatula until well combined. Fold in the chocolate in a similar manner.
  • Use a ¼-cup measure to scoop out the dough, forming each portion into a ball. Seal them loosely packed in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight or for up to three days.
  • Bake for 13-14 minutes on two Silpat-lined sheets, at 350°F. Cool for at least 7 minutes on the sheet, and then remove by hand to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • The original recipe calls for unsalted butter, but I don’t find a significant difference between salted and unsalted in this context.
  • If you don’t have the foresight or patience to soften the butter, melt a small portion of it and beat it into the remainder of the (cold) butter.
  • The original recipe calls for dark brown sugar, but light brown works, too.
  • You can make your own superfine sugar by spinning it in a food processor for about 20-30 seconds.
  • For extra flavor, swap out ¼ of the flour for whole wheat. This also helps give the cookies a chewy quality.
  • The original recipe calls for 170g (6 oz.) chocolate, but – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – that’s too much. I reduced it, and might reduce it even further. I suspected that chocolate chips might work well in this cookie, but they didn’t.
  • The original recipe added the salt to the dry ingredients, but the dough doesn’t get mixed enough to dissolve the large crystals. Although I love the saltiness that this produces in the finished cookie, I don’t like the little bits of crunch that it also creates. I constantly feel like there’s an accidental, foreign ingredient in the cookie.

Social Learning

So, are these cookies perfect? I’m not sure there is such a thing. Are they fantastic? Absolutely. They’re beautiful and delicious – and surprisingly easy to make. They are strikingly similar to Jacques Torres’ secret chocolate chip cookies, except that they’re not quite as flat, and they’re not quite as secret. They’re a definite cut above most homemade, chocolate chip cookies.

A “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Thanks, Kesor. Thanks Prosper Circle. 

Keep up with us on Bloglovin’

Large Blog Image

Black Bean Soup: Dinner for Four
Graham Cracker Pie Crust, Rolled-Out from Scratch

39 thoughts on “A “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookie”

  1. My goodness you’re really on a cookie kick! Is it the pandemic? Have you recently discovered a sweet tooth?!! I’ve never been good at baking cookies (I know, crazy) but I printed this recipe!
    Chef Mimi recently posted…Eggs Chartres

    Reply

    • Well, the sweet tooth’s been there a long time. 😉 But yes, the pandemic. I can’t have people over for Christmas, which is frustrating, and I can’t go visit them, either! So, I’m planning to leave boxes of cookies on their doorsteps. (I did make some extra for my husband and myself, of course.)

      Reply

    • One of the things that chopped chocolate does for the cookie is that a bunch of chocolate “dust,” which is created as you chop, gets melded into the cookie batter, and keeps it on the softer side. Larger chunks accomplish the same thing. So yes, these cookies crisp and yet soft.

      Reply

  4. It’s always wonderful when you can find such jewels that make you happy. I love chocolate chip so thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

    • I reduced it from 6 oz. to 5, and I think I’d try 4. My idea is that I want to taste both the cookie AND the chocolate, and even with 5 oz., it taste mostly like a straight-up chocolate cookie. This isn’t some objective thing about rightness and wrongness in a cookie, it’s just a matter of my tastes.

      Reply

  7. Jeff, your timing is impeccable as I just received my semi-annual care package full of American goodies I can’t get here and chocolate chips are in this box. I like the superfine sugar idea as well as reducing the chocolate. I’m making cookies tomorrow and a batch of your “Perfect” Chocolate Chip Cookies will be in the lineup…
    Ron recently posted…Knäckebröd or Swedish crispbread…

    Reply

    • You can get chips!?!? I thought in Sweden, chocolate fell from the skies! (And I assumed it fell in chip form.) Well, before you use them in this recipe, read carefully for the note I put in there about having tried chips in this cookie, and they weren’t as good as the chopped chocolate. Save your chips for a different cookie – and let me know what it turns out to be!

      Reply

  8. Ok, so you’ve laid down the gauntlet here, Jeff. I’m intrigued by the discovery of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Of course, given the season, this reminds me of a famous quote by none other than Buddy the Elf. “Congratulations! World’s best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It’s great to be here.” – Buddy The Elf.” In this case, we’ll need to change coffee to chocolate chip cookie, but that’s an easy fix.
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Three Decker Toadstool and Sauerkraut Sandwich with Arsenic Sauce

    Reply

  9. I am notorious for forgetting to take the butter out of the fridge/freezer (I have 11 pounds of butter in my freezer at this moment, much to JT’s chagrin) so I’m particularly intrigued with your tip, can’t wait to try it. These cookies look incredible, would love a taste.
    Eva Taylor recently posted…Mushroom Bolognese

    Reply

    • 11 pounds! I’m constantly forgetting to take the butter out of the fridge, so I’m always looking for new ways to warm it up!

      Reply

  11. I’ll refill my family’s snack box with this new recipe! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  12. I agree — “perfection” is a hard thing to claim in a cookie. But fantastic works for me. IMHO, the “perfect” chocolate chip cookie would taste like this and be calorie free.

    Reply

    • In this particular cookie, they dont. I have a friend who makes the best chocolate chip cookies, and she uses chips. But she keeps her recipe secret!

      Reply

  16. We definitely need plenty of chocolate chip cookies here in Scotland Jeff having just been put into a new lockdown until the middle of January. Although Christmas is mostly banned here, eating definitely isn’t and I’ll be eating my weight in chocolate chip cookies. Have a great Christmas there Jeff!
    Neil recently posted…My Best Cheesecake Recipes For Christmas

    Reply

    • Do you mean to tell me that there’s an aspect of Christmas that doesn’t involve eating? Oh, I guess that would be shopping.

      Reply

  17. Mine won’t be quite as perfect — or fantastic — as you say, because I’m going to try them with GF flour for my son. I think they’ll come close though! Excited to try. 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*
Website

CommentLuv badge