The Chocolate Chip Cookie

My good friend Megan grew up in a house where there were always homemade chocolate chip cookies. I don't know how that family stayed so trim. Her mother experimented over many years to get the best combination of the just-right ingredients (Imperial margarine, of all things!) to create her signature cookies. And they were good. When we were freshmen, Megan's mom sent some for Megan and our roommates and Megan's other friends and even some for Ryan. My mother, not to be outdone, made cookies for Ryan as well. He was in an enviable position with all those mothers making him cookies.

Chocolate chip cookie recipes abound; this is the one I like. (Megan's mom doesn't give away her recipe, so I've never tried that one.) It is for very big cookies, but I really like how it turns out with small cookies too (baking time much shorter, of course). Also, I like to chop some of the chocolate chips into finer pieces.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from the folks at Cooks Illustrated)

Makes about 18 huge cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 STICKS unsalted butter, melted and allowed to cool until warm
1 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.

Whisk the flour, soda, and salt together and set aside.

Add the brown and white sugars to the cooled butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Beat in the egg and yolk and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and stir or mix on low until just blended. Stir in the chips.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, scoop up a chunk of dough. Roll it gently into a ball, then rip the thing in half using your fingers. Rotate the dough so that the two jagged edges face upward and gently smush together the two pieces of dough so it's sort of a ball (a ball with a jagged top). Place on the baking sheet with the jagged side up. Repeat and arrange the blobs about 2 1/2" apart.

Bake about 15-18 minutes or until the edges start to brown but the centers still look kind of pale brownish and puffy. They will look a little underbaked, but that is what makes them tasty! Allow the cookies to cool ON the baking sheets.