Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone I know loves chocolate chip cookies. Of course, I prefer oatmeal raisin cookies. They are my absolute favorite cookies with tons of raisins! Now, back to these delicous cookies. I saw the recipe in my Cook's Illustrated magazette, yes, I said magazette. It's my opinion that C.I. is a cross between a magazine and a booklet. Anyway, you know these cookies have to be delicious and one of the ingredients incorporated into the recipe is brown butter. How can you go wrong with brown butter? Cooks Illustrated takes a portion of the butter in this recipe and browns it to enhance the depth of flavor in their cookie. It works. They also amp up the flavor by using dark brown sugar.

Cook's Illustrated Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)


Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Heat ten tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.

 Stir remaining four tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted. Add both sugars, salt and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about thirty seconds. Let mixture stand for three minutes, then whish for thirty seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking two more times until mixture is thick and smooth. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about one minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using, I did not), giving dough a final stir. Arrange cookie batter two inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving. Serve with a cold glass of milk!


 Source: Cook's Illustrated Magazine