Pour in the Chocolate Chips!

Happy Monday everyone! It's a gloomy day in Weehawken...the sun is attempting to peek out (and failing). What do we do on a blah kind of day? We bake of course; chocolate chip cookies to be exact. Here are a few recipes that are some of the best as far as chocolate chips are concerned...enjoy!

The gourmet...

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sarah Copeland; The Newlywed Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups flour
• ¾ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt
• 16 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375°. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Combine butter, both sugars, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat on medium-high speed with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks two at a time, beating after each addition; add dry ingredients; beat on low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a work surface; divide into 3 equal pieces. Flatten each into a 4″ x 6″ rectangle; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Place one dough rectangle on a floured work surface; sprinkle with half the chocolate. Top with another rectangle, sprinkle with remaining chocolate, and cover with last rectangle. Using a floured rolling pin, flatten rectangles into a 9″ x 6″ x 1 ½″ rectangle. Using a 2″ round cutter, cut out cookies; transfer to parchment paper—lined baking sheets, spaced 3″ apart. Gather scraps, reroll into a 1 ½″-thick disk; cut out more cookies. Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking, until lightly browned and set, about 15 minutes.

For the salty sweet tooth...

Salty Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Alison Roman

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted
• butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup (packed) light brown
• sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces semisweet or
• bittersweet chocolate (do not
• exceed 72% cacao), coarsely
• chopped
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt

Directions

1. Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, sugar, and powdered sugar until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Beat, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until mixture is pale and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low; slowly add dry ingredients, mixing just to blend. Using a spatula, fold in chocolate.
3. Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of cookie dough onto 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing 1-inch apart. Sprinkle cookies with sea salt.
4. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until just golden brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes (the cookies will firm up as they cool). Let cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely.

DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

From one of the best chefs in the world...

Thomas Keller's Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Thomas Keller

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup 72 percent chocolate chunks
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the butter on low for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl again.
2. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl. Beat again for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl and beat for another 2 minutes. Scrape bowl again.
3. Slowly stream in eggs, one at a time, while mixer is on low speed. Once all eggs are incorporated, whip on medium speed for 2 minutes, scrape halfway through, and scrape when done.
4. Add dry ingredients on low speed, scrape halfway, and scrape when all the dry ingredients have been added.
5. Add chocolate and scrape again.
6. Scoop onto a lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 325 for approximately 18 minutes if using a No. 10 scoop (check after 15 minutes).

Happy baking!