Chocolate chip cookies are like politics. You get stuck on a point of view and most of the time you don’t change it. I always sort of knew this but the idea was reinforced recently at our annual family cookoff. Everybody liked different recipes for all sorts of personal reasons.
I like crispy chocolate chip cookies but my sister-in-law Eileen likes them soft.
Ed and his sister Barbara insist that their Mom’s recipe was wonderful. But her chocolate chip cookies were so lumpy and dry they crumbled like sandcastles.
Jesse likes a variety of chips and also other stuff in chocolate chip cookies — the chips are just one diversion for him.
Is there such a thing as the “best” chocolate chip cookie?
As I said, it’s like politics. It depends on your point of view.
Recently, Felicity Cloake wrote a very informative article in The Guardian, explaining all the ins and outs of chocolate chip cookies. Like why some are chewy, some crispy, whether you should let the dough rest and, of course, a discussion on the chips. She also gives a recipe.
She says that the original Toll House Cookie recipe is a good basic recipe.
But I say, it’s not perfect. A tweak here and there to suit your tastes is okay.
BTW, so far, despite Jesse’s great Chocolate Chippers with all Sorts of Other Stuff and the other three cookoff recipes in our family event, all of which were good, the family universally agrees that nothing we’ve tasted thus far surpasses the Grand Finale cookies from my book, Hip Kosher.
Grand Finales are crispy and contain dark chocolate chips, nuts and raisins. Nothing beats them. So, do try them.
Or try the recipe below, a bit more caramel-y because there’s more brown sugar and less white sugar than standard versions. These are soft but moist, neither crispy nor chewy. Vaguely coconut-y because I’ve used some coconut oil and coconut flour.
BTW, this may sound like heresy, but I never use Nestle’s chocolate chips. I think they are way too sweet and not chocolatey enough. I usually buy Ghirardelli but sometimes I use bar chocolate and chop it into pieces.
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Flour and More Brown Sugar
14 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter, coconut oil, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add the eggs and beat the mixture until well blended. Add the flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and blend them in thoroughly. Stir the chocolate into the dough. For each cookie, mound balls of dough (about 3 tablespoonsful) onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving an inch or more of space between each mound of dough. Flatten the mounds slightly. Bake immediately or refrigerate for 2-24 hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes about 24-28 cookies