Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

To me, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is oversized, thick, soft and chewy, with large chunks of chocolate and nuts. This recipe is from The Best Recipe, a book which I love because before every recipe, the logic of the ingredients is explained.

For instance, in this recipe, beginning with melted butter, instead of softened, means that the proteins in the flour grab onto the freed water molecules to form elastic sheets of gluten, and the gluten equals chewy! The second egg yolk also acts as a tenderizer, contributing to the squishy softness of these deliciously moist cookies. Another way to ensure that these cookies stay soft is to pull them out before they actually look done. Remember, they will continue to cook on the tray thanks to the ongoing heat from the pan and the sugar within the cookies.

Instead of using chocolate chips, I like to buy chocolate bars (dark chocolate, usually) and chop them up. The chunks of chocolate contribute to an interesting texture, and any smaller shavings sprinkle through the cookies making the chocolate distribution more even.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 18 large cookies

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (180 g) butter, melted and cooled till warm

1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325F/ 165C. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.

Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined.

Stir in chips and nuts to taste.

Roll or spoon 1/4 cup cookie dough into a bowl. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into two equal halves. Rotate halve 90 degrees and, with jagged surface facing up, join halves together at their base, again forming a single ball. Be careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving 2 1/2 inches between each ball.

Bake for roughly 15-18, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown and the edges start to harden, yet centers are still soft and puffy.

Cool cookies on sheets. When cooled, peel cookies from parchment, and enjoy while still warm.

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