The PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookie

Step aside Nestle Tollhouse and Monica Geller, I’ve got a treat for you. I’m very specific about the way these cookies are made, but if you want to know my secrets, read on.  Baking is a science and the order and manner in which you incorporate the ingredients are SO IMPORTANT. This recipe is the result of much experimentation and hours upon hours in the kitchen.

These chocolate chip cookies are my favorite things to bake. This recipe was one of the first ones I ever perfected myself and I’m still proud of it. They’re the perfect combination of all the contradictions that make good cookies: they’re crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside, fluffy and gooey and tasty when warm or cooled.

I always hate it when people post recipes that are preceded by 3 pages of the ~story~ of making the cookies. I find it much more useful to have thorough descriptions or an annotated recipe. So without further ado: here’s how to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies:

Ingredients:

1 Stick of SOFTENED unsalted butter

• Don’t you dare microwave that butter. The key to these cookies is that you let it slowly soften to room temperature. Have your cookies ever been surrounded in puddles of grease? It’s probably because you melted your butter in the microwave.
• If you don’t have time to let your butter soften or forgot to set it out in advance, I have tips below.

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup LIGHT brown sugar

• If you use dark brown, your cookies will be flat.

1 ROOM TEMPERATURE egg

• I’m aware that I seem extra, but you’re the one reading about making perfect cookies.

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla*

• *honestly I just pour vanilla into the mixture until I’m satisfied. It’s probably more like 2 1/2 tsp, but 1 1/2 tsp sounded more reasonable. Vanilla is GOOD.

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup+ chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chop the butter into small squares and set the egg and butter on the counter. Go watch a show or play a game. Write a blog post. Just let the butter soften until you can easily run your finger through it. It takes around 30-40 minutes. Yes, I’m saying this again. **If you’re impatient, chop the butter into small squares and gather it together. Grab a medium, microwaveable bowl, fill it partially with water and microwave until hot. Pour the water out and place the hot bowl over the butter, careful not to crush any pieces. This should help it soften faster.
2. While it’s softening, prepare your ingredients. Once the butter/ingredients are ready, preheat oven to 350.
3. Place butter squares in a medium-large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, press butter into sides of bowl and fold it into itself until its smooth and creamy. Fun fact, this is a technique called creaming. You’re basically making a butter paste.
4. Add sugars in together and fold them into the butter until they are completely incorporated.
5. Add room temperature egg and continue to fold in until incorporated.
6. Add salt+vanilla or any other flavoring you want (other than chocolate chips, raisins, etc) and fold in.
7. Fold in the flour ~1/2 cup at a time. It’s going to get harder to blend and it’s going to seem like all the flour won’t incorporate. Take it slow, it will all mix together.
8. Add chocolate chips and add more if you’re as much of a chocolate enthusiast as me. I recommend Nestle Semi-Sweet.
9. Grease pan and spoon dough onto pan in small amounts.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
11. Take a picture and tag me @annie.proct
12. Enjoy!!!