Peace and Love in the Kitchen

a post by guest blogger, Melissa O. Smith, M.D.

adapted from Jacques Torres’ Winning Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Today’s guest blogger and I have been friends for many years.  Melissa manages to balance work and family life with grace.  She makes it look easy, but the secret is that she is a scheduler; a doer; a person who makes lists. She and her husband cook every night.  Even when their children’s schedules take them in different directions, they make the time to sit down as a family and eat dinner.  Melissa also loves to bake. She finds it relaxing and therapeutic. This is her recipe for The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie.

__________________________________________________________________________

I’ve heard a lot of bad news lately; bad news from good friends.  When I hear bad news, I want to help, and that’s when I feel like baking.  Baking makes me feel like I’m helping and that makes me feel good.  Hopefully, it makes my family and friends feel good, too.

Another reason I like to bake is because my two sons like to help. I am always looking for ways to do things together once we all return home from a long day at school and the office.  The boys like to play with my kitchen gadgets – they think it’s fun to pulse the Cuisinart on and off or to turn my Kitchen Aid mixer on high and watch the paddle move at incredible speed. Plus, they’ve learned that there is usually a spatula to lick or some dough to sample before it goes in the oven!

I have been baking chocolate chip cookies for a long time using various recipes, but I settled on this one about a year ago after reading about it in the Houston Chronicle. This recipe may look intimidating, but the extra steps are worth the effort.  It is important to note that this recipe does not have to be done in one day.  In fact, you need to allow time for the dough to refrigerate 24-36 hours before baking, so plan to do small steps over several days.  That works well for me because I can do a little bit each night after I get home from work.  I measure the ingredients one day; make the dough and refrigerate it the next day; and then bake the following day.

Trust me, these cookies are GOOD!

Tips to making these cookies the best they can be:  Make sure your ingredients are room temperature before you start; use unsalted butter; bake with a silicon baking mat – it improves the cookies because they bake more evenly; and don’t forget to sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on the cookies before they go in the oven!

By the way – you don’t have to wait for bad news to make these.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8½ ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1¼ cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds (about 3 cups) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate disks

1 1/2 cups pecan pieces if desired

Sea salt, for sprinkling

1.  DRY INGREDIENTS:  Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2.  WET INGREDIENTS:  Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

3.  COMBINE:  Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

4.  BAKE: When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 if you have a convection oven). Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat (or parchment paper). Set aside. Using an ice cream scoop (mine is 2 inches in diameter), scoop 8 mounds of dough onto baking sheet.  Sprinkle cookies lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 15 minutes.

5.  COOL:  Remove from oven and place baking sheet on a wire rack for about 5 minutes (they will continue to bake just slightly); remove cookies from baking sheet and place on wire rack to cool another 5 minutes.  These cookies are best served warm with a cold glass of milk, but if you’re planning to take them to a friend, then allow the cookies to cool completely before putting them on a plate for delivery!

Editor’s Note:  The New York Times originally ran this recipe in an article called “Perfection?  Hint: It’s Warm and Has a Secret” by David Leite. After interviewing several well-known bakers, The Times adapted Jacques Torres’ recipe as “The Ultimate”. It is worth noting that their research uncovered the following key techniques for taking the Tollhouse to new dimensions:

1. The best chocolate chip cookies have crunchy edges and soft centers.  Refrigerating the dough 24-36 hours greatly enhances the texture.  The time in the fridge allows the dry ingredients to soak up the eggs which yields a drier and firmer dough.  Good texture is also a function of size.  In this case bigger is better.  A big cookie is going to spread and achieve the crunchy/soft combination much better than a small one.

2.  Use chocolate with at least 60% cacao and don’t forget the sea salt just before they go into the oven.

3.  Serve warm.

Peace and love from my kitchen to yours,

Waverly

Tags:

• COOKIES

5 comments

http://www.peaceandloveinthekitchen.com/2010/11/baking-for-good-the-ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookie

You might also like…

• (No image)

  THE BEST CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES

• 

  CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE

• 

  TEENY TINY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES