Chocolate Chip Cookies

Back in the Day Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the first recipe I tried from Cheryl and Griffin Day's New York Times bestseller bakery cookbook. These cookies, which were customer favourites at their now-closed Savannah bakery, were so good. 

I did make some substitutions, using regular all-purpose flour, table salt instead of sea salt, Laura Secord milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chunks, and I cut the salt to 1 tsp and didn't sprinkle salt on top of the cookies.

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
• Fleur de sel for sprinkling

1. Position oven rack in lower third of the oven. Preheat to 350 degrees F.
2. Line two cookie sheets with parchment.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixer bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together on medium speed: butter, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy 3-5 minutes.
5. Add eggs and mix for no more than 1 minute, eggs will not be fully incorporated.
6. Turn mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients in thirds, beating just until combined, 1-2 minutes.
7. With mixer running sprinkle in chocolate, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.
8. Use a large ice scream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to form the cookies.* Place on prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies to allow for spreading.
9. Lightly tap each cookie with the palm of your hand to flatten and sprinkle cookies with fleur de sel.
10. Bake, one sheet at a time, 15-18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time for even doneness.
11. The cookies should be golden brown around the edges but still light in the centres.
12. Remove baked cookies from oven and remove with a spatula to cool on a wire rack.
13. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days at room temperature.

*I like to make smaller cookies (my mom says you always want to eat two, so make smaller ones!) so when I make these I use a small ice cream scoop (melon-ball size) and the smaller cookies bake in 13-15 minutes.

Barbara Mertz's mom Mrs. Macdonald's Chocolate Chip Frosted Cookies

I recently re-read Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels, who was one of my favorite authors growing up. Michaels was a pen name for Egyptologist Barbara Mertz, who was also the author of the Amelia Peabody series of books published under the name Elizabeth Peters. According to this website, the late author loved getting together with friends for gin and chocolate (not always both at the same time) and on the the very bottom right of the webpage you'll find Barbara's favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, handed down from her mother. Here it is....

• 1/2 c. Spry (lard)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sour milk (add a bit of vinegar to sour the milk)*
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/8 cup cocoa OR 2 squares chocolate, melted
• chocolate icing* (optional)

1. Dump it all in a bowl and beat.
2. Drop batter by small spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
3. Bake 7-10 minutes in a moderate oven (about 350 degrees F)
4. Frost cooled cookies with chocolate icing** if desired. 

*I would estimate 1/2 Tbsp vinegar for 1/2 cup milk

**Icing: Melt a couple of squares of chocolate with icing (powdered) sugar and water. Add a little butter "if you want to get fancy."

Chewy Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

This recipe is from a Hershey's CHIPITS package.

• 2/3 cup (150 mL) melted butter
• 2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp hot water
• 2-2/3 cups (650 ML) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 package (270 grams) milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Stir 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour with 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt.
3. Set aside.
4. Using a mixer, in a large bowl, beat 2/3 cup melted butter with 2 cups brown sugar, 2 eggs.
5. Add 2 Tbsp hot water and mix until smooth.
6. Add flour mixture by spoonfuls to beaten butter mixture, mix.
7. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in 1 package chocolate chips.
8. Drop 1 Tbsp portions of dough onto ungreased baking sheets.
9. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes.
10. Remove pans from oven, let cool 1 minute.
11. With a spatula, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray 2 baking sheets lightly with oil.
3. In a medium bowl, stir flour with baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy (5 minutes).
5. Beat in egg and vanilla.
6. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until combined. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
7. Spoon 2 Tbsp size portions of dough, 3 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets.
8. Flatten dough slightly using your fingers.
9. Bake in centre of oven until edges are golden but centres are soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
10. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
11. Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1-1/2 12-oz bags milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Optional: add 1-1/2 cups chopped nuts.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla in large mixing bowl.
3. In another bowl, sift and stir dry ingredients except for chocolate.
4. Add flour mixture to butter mixture.
5. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts if using).
6. Roll dough into golf-ball sized balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Flatten cookies slightly.
8. Bake 9 minutes or until edges are golden. Cookies will be soft when removed from oven.
9. Let cool on baking sheets.
10. Makes about 2-1/2 dozen.

Refrigerator Dough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crisp-edged, with a gooey middle. A popular item at Jill Barber's patisserie on College St. in Toronto, (recipe from Toronto Life Food & Drink magazine, June 2021.) You can keep this dough in the freezer. 

Ingredients should be at room temperature before mixing.

• 227 g unsalted butter
• 200 g dark brown sugar
• 200 g white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 10g pure vanilla extract
• 335 g all-purpose flour
• 3 g salt
• 6 g baking soda
• 325 g chocolate (70% dark or milk chocolate)
• flaked sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

1. Chop the chocolate into chunks and shards and set aside.
2. Use paddle attachment on a stand mixer.
3. Whip the sugars into the butter until mixed in and butter lightens in colour (about 5 minutes).
4. Add vanilla.
5. Mix in eggs one by one.
6. Turn off mixer and scrape down bowl.
7. Add all the dry ingredients except the chocolate, mix until barely combined.
8. Add chocolate and mix until no flour is visible and chocolate is well dispersed.
9. Turn off mixer and scrape down bowl.
10. Turn dough onto clean work surface and shape dough into a 2" diameter log.
11. Wrap dough in plastic and chill in freezer 1 hour.
12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
13. Slice firm dough into even rounds.
14. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
15. Place cookie dough rounds on parchment, leaving room for cookies to spread out.
16. Bake until edges are golden brown but centre has just stopped looking wet, about 8-12 minutes.
17. Sprinkle finished cookies with flaked sea salt if desired.