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Love those bakery style chocolate chip cookies??? You know the ones I mean- big (really big) cookies, crispy on the outside, chewy good and slightly doughy on the inside…….mmmm  bet you can almost taste it now! 

This recipe was posted in the New York Times a few years back and comes pretty close to perfection!  The only real problem with this recipe is you really do have to let the dough chill for at least 24 hours – not conducive to late-night cookie attacks when you just want to make a batch and eat them right then; but when you want a really good cookie …..these are worth the wait!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

           **Allow 24 hours chilling time before baking **

Ingredients:

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

1 2/3 cups (8 1 /2 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 (1 1/4 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 natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I use less – see note below*)

Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with 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. 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.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 17 to 18 minutes (until golden brown, but not too done).  Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

NOTES:

1st:  I know some of you will be tempted to skip the coarse salt in the cookie and the sea salt on the outside:  try it-  It works perfectly.

2nd:  * Some of you will be tempted to use semi-sweet chips – if you do, your cookies will actually be too sweet.  The bittersweet is this recipe is just right.  I use Ghirardelli.   I also use almost half as much chocolate as the recipe calls for – just stir in the chocolate slowly until it gets to the amount you usually put in your cookies.

3rd:  Again, you might be tempted to make smaller cookies – don’t!  You have to have the extra-large size to get the crisp outside and gooey center.  If you don’t have a scale to weigh them,  use a rounded third-cup and it works great.  (You can only get 5 cookies on a tray)

Lastly:  in extreme emergencies (or cookie attacks)  you can put the dough in the freezer for about an hour and they work okay – not quite as well.  It really is best to refrigerate the dough at least 24 hours!

You’ll love these!