Thursday, January 28, 2010

Our Favorite Cookie

Everyone who loves to bake has a favorite recipe or two. And I have seen countless lists and blogs of the best chocolate chip cookies or cookie recipe ever. I'm not going to claim that these chocolate chip cookies are the best recipe or the best ever but what I can tell you is they are my family's favorite cookie and even I, who don't care for chocolate chip cookies all that much, love them.

These cookies are based on a Cook's Illustrated recipe from one of my favorite baking books of all time, Baking Illustrated. A book that could only be more fabulous if, as it's title implies, it was actually illustrated with full color photographs for each recipe. Nothing sells me on a book more than food porn. Although, I daresay, this book stands alone on the merits of it's tried and true recipes.

Our cookies are not a traditional chocolate chip cookie but we are not exactly a traditional family so they're perfect for us.


Our Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies




No, I do not put beer in my cookies, that green bottle in the back is homemade vanilla extract.

Heat oven to 325 and line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment or silpat

- 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour (King Arthur makes the best one)
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 and 1/2 sticks of Butter that has been melted and cooled for at least 10 minutes
- 1 and 1/2 cup Dark or Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg plus 1 Egg yolk
- 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup loosely measured (don't pack it down) Sweetened Flaked Coconut
- 1/2 cup Toffee Bits (I like Heath brand, you can also chop 2-3 Heath or Skor bars)
- 1/2 to 1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips or chopped Dark Chocolate

In a small bowl, whisk the first three ingredients and set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer (or with a hand mixer or even with your hand) add your sugar and melted butter and cream for two or three minutes.
Beat in your egg and egg yolk and the vanilla extract until well combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add your dry ingredients. Beat for no more than a few seconds, just to combine.
Add the coconut, toffee chips, and dark chocolate and mix by hand until evenly distributed but do not over mix.
Let cookies rest in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes.



Drop cookies by tablespoonfuls onto your carefully prepared cookies sheets. Here's where we will use our imaginations to pretend that I did not forget to line my cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. We like ours perfectly balanced between moist centers and crispy edges so I eyeball it. Eyeballing is an art, you know. :)



These never last very long but I am willing to bet the dough balls freeze well. Just portion the cookie dough out onto a cookie sheet and stick the whole sheet in the freezer until firm. Pop the dough off and into a plastic baggie or container and bake off a few at a time. I'm going to have to try that one day...

7 comments:

  1. Hmmmm... Beer in cookies???

    Even without the beer, these sound great. Love em a little soft and chewy, under cooked

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  2. you know, i'm surprised i haven't seen a recipe for using beer in cookies. there're probably a couple out there somewhere. :)
    meanwhile, i love your creation here. i like my chocolate chippers flat, soft, and mostly chewy. i'm glad you found a winning recipe. :)

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  3. I know I'm the odd man out on this, but I've never really cared for drop cookies. I like rolling my dough, freezing it in a log, and slicing off little discs. I also prefer crispy to chewy.

    They say it takes all kinds.

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  4. @A Year on the Grill and @grace I'm willing to bet that there is a beer cookie recipe out there somewhere. Chocolate and Guinness seems to be a popular combination.

    @my50cheeses It does take all kinds- all kinds of cookies :) You'd probably like my rosemary lemon cookies, they are a slice and bake cookie with a pleasant crispness and lovely sugared edges. Don't mind me, I just ate a couple of them...

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  5. These look awesome! I like how easy they are to prepare and I like that you can make only a few at a time!

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  6. I baked these this afternoon and they are definitely a superior chocolate chip cookie.

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  7. I'm so glad so liked them, Aileen!

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