Practically Perfect In Every Way Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies are my favourite. There is nothing better with a cup of tea, and I find them so addictive. I like to bake my cookies pretty big, so that one is enough, and anymore than two is just sickening. Perfect cookies for me are soft, squidgy, and a little chewy, but with some crunch or bite around the edges. There should be no skimping on the chocolate chips either. Just because you can’t see them all on top doesn’t mean these bad boys aren’t full of them! 

I love all chocolate, but think dark chocolate is perfect for a cookie. It’s more bitter than milk or white chocolate, and for me that offsets the sweetness of a bake which is primarly made of sugar quite nicely.

The only thing I don’t like about baking cookies is chill time. I really think its so important to chill the dough, it helps the ingredients meld together and stops them spreading when they are in the oven. This recipe calls for a 24 hour chill, but you could make the dough ahead and keep it for a few days I think. If the dough is there and ready, you know you are only around 15 minutes away from a sweet chocolatey, freshly baked treat. If calories weren’t an issue, I’d likely constantly have a batch of cookie dough in my fridge at all times. The other issue is resisting the temptation to eat the dough raw.

What can I say… I have a MAJOR sweet tooth.

You may have heard of Felicity Cloake and her ‘perfect’ series for the Guardian.

It’s a great idea, and to be honest, I wish I had her job. She takes everyday food- and occasionally some fancier varieties –  and tests established and trusted recipes from well known sources, reviews the pros and cons of each, and then endeavours to use the best of each to come up with the perfect recipe for said dish.

This is here is her ultimate recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The original calls for light brown sugar, however I swapped this out for dark brown soft sugar, as it was what I had in the cupboards at the time.

RECIPE – Makes 15

120g salted butter, at room temperature
75g dark brown sugar (if you like them more chewy, light brown for a little more crunch, yet still chewy in the centre)
75g granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
240g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
170g dark chocolate chips

Use a stand mixer – or a wooden spoon and all of the elbow grease you can manage – to beat the butter and both sugars together. It should look something like this when you are done.

Now beat in the egg and the vanilla extract, which will help the mixture to bind a little. 

Sift the flour and bicarb together into a separate bowl, and add this to the cookie mixture spoon by spoon, as you continue to mix. Resit the urge to eat your dough in all of its wonderful  golden toned glory.

Add the chocolate chips, and fold these in using a spatular or wooden spoon. I love the huge quantity this recipe calls for. Just look at the amount. Chocolate goodness. 

Dollop the finished dough onto a length of clingfilm, and roll up into a sausage. Put in the he fridge to chill overnight/for 24 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, and roll the dough into 15 golf ball sized rounds. Bake for around 15 minutes til golden. 

These made pretty thick cookies – if you prefer a thinner bake similar to what you’d get from the bakery section in the supermarket, flatten slightly with the back of a spoon before baking. 

Leave to cool for 10/15 minutes on the tray before eating or storing in an airtight container. Will keep up to 3 days, if you don’t devour them at the rate I do.