The Food Lab’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Food Lab's Chocolate Chip Cookie

October 4, 2024

For our tasters who preferred thinner cookies, this cookie was the winner. Not only did they appreciate the thinness, they also liked the sprinkling of finishing salt which enhanced the flavor of the cookies. This cookie came in second overall.

To be clear, these cookies are not salty. Interestingly, for those who didn’t care as much for this particular cookie, it was because of the salt.

What we liked

  • For those who preferred a thinner cookie with a slight chew without any coffee back notes, this was the cookie they preferred.
  • Several tasters also liked the sprinkling of finishing salt on the top of the cookies.

What we didn’t like

  • The cookies were very difficult to scoop after refrigeration.
  • Some found the cookies a little too salty.

Would we change anything?

We would pre-portion the cookies prior to refrigerating. Maybe letting them sit out for 5-10 minutes to allow the flour to hydrate before scooping.

The recipe has you break each refrigerated dough ball in half to reveal a rougher surface. It didn’t seem to have any effect on the final product so we might eliminate that extra step.

Would we make them again?

Absolutely.

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
The Food Lab's Chocolate Chip Cookie

The Food Lab’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies


  • Author: Serious Eats (slightly modified)
  • Total Time: 12 hours, 46 minutes
  • Yield: 28 1x

Description

J. Kenji López-Alt applied his thorough recipe development method to this recipe creating a chewy cookie with crisp edges and a craggly top that holds bits of finishing salt.


Ingredients

Scale

½ cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 standard ice cube (about 2 tablespoons)

2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

¾ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt*

¾ cup granulated sugar (5 ounces)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar (5 ounces)

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Coarse sea salt, for garnish


Instructions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, gently swirling pan constantly, until particles begin to turn golden brown and butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and continue swirling the pan until the butter is a rich brown, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to a medium bowl, whisk in ice cube, transfer to refrigerator, and allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes, whisking occasionally. (Alternatively, whisk over an ice bath to hasten the process.)

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Place granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-high speed until mixture is pale brownish-yellow and falls off the whisk in thick ribbons when lifted, about 5 minutes.

Fit paddle attachment onto mixer. When brown butter mixture has cooled (it should be just starting to turn opaque again and firm around the edges), add brown sugar and cooled brown butter to egg mixture in stand mixer. Mix on medium speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until just barely combined, with some dry flour still remaining, about 15 seconds. Add chocolate and mix on low speed until dough comes together, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate dough at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.

When ready to bake, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 325°F. Using a 3 tablespoon scoop, place balls of cookie dough onto a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet. You should be able to fit 6 to 8 balls on each sheet. Tear each ball in half to reveal a rougher surface, then stick them back together with the rough sides facing outward. Transfer to oven and bake until golden brown around edges but still soft, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating pans back to front and top to bottom halfway through baking.

Remove baking sheets from oven. While cookies are still hot, sprinkle very lightly with coarse salt and gently press salt down to embed. Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container, plastic bag, or cookie jar at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Notes

*Salinity of salts can vary greatly

View the original recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-best-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Inactive Time: 12 hours
  • Cook Time: 16 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 153.21
  • Sugar: 13.03 g.
  • Sodium: 210.3 mg.
  • Fat: 6.84 g.
  • Saturated Fat: 3.98 g.
  • Carbohydrates: 21.16 g.
  • Fiber: 0.89 g.
  • Protein: 1.91 g.
  • Cholesterol: 22.49 mg.

Keywords: browned butter, semisweet chocolate chips

You May Also Like…

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating