Well, let me tell you- I have had chocolate chip cookies before. Many times before, in fact, because my childhood was spent making the dough and eating a good portion of it before the heaps of dough actually made it in the oven...
But the Levain Bakery chocolate chip walnut cookie I had put all the cookies I had ever had in my past to shame...
In the last couple years, I have only had one other opportunity to eat these delightful cookies but yet I have spent many hours thinking about how they are crafted. After all, how do you create a cookie that has a crisp outer shell and a perfectly doughy inside?
I searched and searched online, and after looking at several recipes I came up with my own.
Warning: You may gain several pounds (of sheer happiness) after eating these cookie monsters.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Monsters (adapted from Plain Chicken)
Ingredients:
1 cup cold butter (I use salted- original recipe calls for unsalted)
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla (an extra teaspoon for extra yummy-ness!)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to combine completely. Add the vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch until ingredients are combined. Slowly add in the flour. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Divide the cookie dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls Freeze dough for at least ten minutes, if not longer. After freezing, place six pieces of dough on each of two parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool 5 to 7 minutes on the cookie sheets before enjoying.