The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Once Upon A Chef Food

CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and both sugars for 3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and cafe au lait-colored (use high speed on a hand mixer and medium speed on a stand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for 2 minutes more. Scrape down the bowl. Add the salt and baking soda and beat briefly until evenly combined. Add the flour and both chocolates, and mix on low speed until the flour is completely blended and the chocolate is evenly distributed throughout the dough.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or scrape the dough into an airtight container and let rest in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. (Alternatively, if you don't want to wait, form the dough into balls on the baking sheet as instructed below and chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes.)
• Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Drop the dough in firmly packed 1.5-tablespoon balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. (I use a #40/1.5-T cookie scoop with a wire trigger.) Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden around the edges but still soft and pale in the center. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Note: Some readers have had issues with the cookies being flat. This can happen as a result of using a "softer" flour. I highly recommend King Arthur All Purpose Flour for this recipe -- it's high in protein and gluten, and helps cookies hold their shape.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) The baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.

TATE'S COPYCAT THIN & CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Set an oven rack in the center position. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter with both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until just combined, and then mix in 1¾ cups of the chocolate chips.
• Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. (Do not make the cookies too big or they will spread into one another.) Dot each cookie dough with a few of the remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake until cookies are lightly golden in the middle and slightly darker around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 1 hour, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.)The baked cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Note: You will have more consistent results baking the cookies one sheet at a time, but if you'd like to use two racks, set the racks in centermost positions, and bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back midway through.

CHEF JOHN'S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together until mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk liquids together in small areas around the bowl, then all together to avoid separation.
• Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; stir until flour is thoroughly mixed in. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Transfer dough to a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving 4 inches of space between cookies (about 8 per sheet). Bake in preheated oven until cookies are golden brown, about 12 minutes. Slide parchment and cookies onto a cooling rack for a few minutes. Remove parchment and finish cooling the cookies on the rack.