There’s so much going on! Do you ever feel like you’ve got too many hands in the cookie jar? I realize some things can be helped. But there are things that must get done. Like baking the best chocolate chip cookies.

And taking care of our sweet canine buddy, Jasper. Last week we had to put him down. Only a week earlier, he was very lethargic, stopped eating, and just wasn’t himself. The vet said it could be a number of things, but an x-ray would probably best detect the problem. I decided to do antibiotics and see if he improved.

Over the next couple of days he seemed to perk up. He ate a little and was still drinking water. We did notice that he was having trouble walking, though.

The next day when I came home from errands, Elsie was upstairs and yelled that Jasper was shaking really bad. I knew he was having a seizure. We jumped in the car with him and drove to the vet. Our vet wasn’t exactly sure what was going on. His red blood cell count was really low, but he said the tests showed his bone marrow was still making red blood cells.

He suggested doing an ultrasound and came back with heartbreaking news. Jasper had a tumor. There was nothing we could do. Rhodes was in a class, so I asked if they could wait to put down Jasper until I came back. They waited and we were all able to say goodbye to him.

Saying goodbye to pets is so hard. We had countless pets growing up. Mostly cats, and two dogs over the years. I even had a pet rooster. He was more trouble than he was worth, so my dad took him to a “farm” and came home with a rabbit for me. 🙂

I think baking is like a therapy for me. Sometimes I can be in a mood to do nothing, and baking still sounds like a good idea. I’ve made these cookies several times. The kids love them and Elsie brought some to her lacrosse teammates a couple weeks ago. I was glad I could provide the post-game sugar.

This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks by America’s Test Kitchen. It’s called “The Perfect Cookie“. And they have so many good recipes in there. I’ve made at least five and they’ve all been hits with whoever eats them. Like these dulce de leche cookies and these hazelnut espresso sandwich cookies.

What makes these cookies so good?

It’s a combination of things, really. White sugar makes cookies crispier. Which is not a bad thing. But sometimes you want a cookie that’s more chewy. That’s where brown sugar comes in. These cookies have a combination of both, but they also have more dark brown sugar than white sugar. It’s like the best of both worlds colliding in a cookie.

If you’ve baked enough chocolate chip cookies, you know that creaming the butter is pretty standard. America’s Test Kitchen did comparisons with creamed butter and melted, browned butter. Creamed butter produced a more cake-y texture, while the melted, browned butter resulted in a richer flavor, as well as being chewy.

Tollhouse cookies are made with two eggs. However, America’s Test Kitchen discovered it resulted in drier cookies. Their solution was one whole egg, and an additional yolk.

Lastly, the size of the cookie scoop makes a huge difference. Normal chocolate chip cookies are fairly small. AMT says that using three tablespoons of dough creates more area for chewy and crispy textures to co-exist. I use this cookie scoop and have found it to be the best size for this recipe.

I look forward to hearing about your baking stories! Drop me a line or tag me in your photos.

Happy Baking, babes!

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the best chocolate chip cookies

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Author: heidi | adapted from The Perfect Cookie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 to 14 minutes
Total Time: 44 minute
Yield: 24–28 1x
Category: cookies
Method: baking
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

Scale

3.5 cups | 17.5 ounces flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
28 tablespoons | 3.5 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup | 7 ounces granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups | 10.5 ounces dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine flour and baking soda and set aside.
In a large skillet melt 20 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking and swirling/stirring until butter is golden brown and has nutty aroma. Pour hot, melted butter into large bowl and add remaining stick of butter. Stir until completely melted.
Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add in eggs, egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Let mixture rest for 3 minutes, then repeat process two more times. Mixture should be thick, smooth, and shiny.
Add flour mixture and fold in using rubber spatula. Stir in chocolate chips.
Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, place cookies in a 2-1-2-1-2 pattern to ensure enough room to spread during baking. Bake 12-14 minutes, until edges are starting to set, cookies are a light golden brown and puffy.
Cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.

Notes

1. Use a stainless steel skillet to melt the butter. Non-stick and cast iron make it difficult to see if butter is browning.

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