Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted from Jacques Torres

Submitted by Chelley-Chelle

"From an article: Quest for the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/09/dining/09chip.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin I've made these twice since the article was published a week ago. These cookies are awesome. I couldn't find the chocolate ovals at whole foods, so I just used bittersweet chocolate chips and they were great! I thought the salt on top would be weird but I tried it both ways and liked it better with the salt. Go figure!!"

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Yields: 18 5-inch cookies

ingredients

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces by weight)
• 1 2⁄3 cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces by weight)
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups unsalted butter
• 1 1⁄4 cups light brown sugar (10 ounces by weight)
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (8 ounces by weight)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1⁄4 lbs bittersweet chocolate (disks or feves, at least 60 percent cacao content ( see note)
• sea salt

directions

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, 18 to 20 minutes. 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.
5. Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate http://www.mrchocolate.com/detail.aspx?ID=58;.
6. Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

Reviews

[Chunx]

The best cookies EVER. I didn't have cake flour on hand so I made it using a recipe on here. I made 2 sheets, each w/8 rounded table spoons. I didn't chill the dough. I have the rest of the dough in the fridge to see if it will be even better (is that even possible?) tomorrow! WONDERFUL! Since my cookies were smaller, I left them in for about 15min?? Oh, I accidentally added 2C cake flour instead of the "minus 2 TB", but they still turned out fab, although it was hard for me to stir in the chips! Thanks for posting!

 

[Allotta]

the best flavor chocolate chip cookies i've ever had. i halved the recipe then halved the butter with pear butter to cut some fat. i didn't let it rest either. i didn't salt them before putting them in the oven. they baked into very delicious soft cookies, that were a little crisp when still warm. i thought 20 minutes is a long time to leave cookies in the oven, but it was just right.

 

[scancan]

A perfect 10! These cookies are delicious, look beautiful (they bake up high not flat) and have that perfect crisp to it. If one prefers a chewier cookie I would recommend increasing the butter. I did not use cake flour but instead a combination of bread flour and all purpose flour and used regular chocolate chips. I also chilled the dough for only ten minutes. In addition I doubled the recipe but decreased the sugar slightly since when doubling the sugar proportions don't come out exactly double. I loved these (and so do my kids, help!).