Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have you noticed the internet is obsessed with finding “the best” chocolate chip cookie recipe ever? It’s a worthy goal if I do say so myself. I mean, sometimes you just need a chocolate chip cookie, am I right? And I’m feeling like having “the best recipe in the world” under your belt could be a real asset when you need to bake emergency cookies at midnight. However, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion there is no one best recipe out there. As a connoisseur of all things chocolate chip I’ve tried many a cookie recipe in my day. From the wide world of food blogs to cookbooks, I’ve tried a number that is entirely too large to admit. Heck, I’ve even tried the ones from the back of the chocolate chip bags. And guess what? Nearly all the recipes have one thing in common: I like them all.

The thing is I can’t really pick a favorite or best from all the recipes because each one is just different and depending on my mood I want different things in my cookie. Chocolate chip cookies can come in every variety from thin and crisp, to super thick, chewy, super buttery, extra sweet, extra chocolate-y, to everything in between. And I feel there’s a time and place for each one of these variations. The thing is chocolate chip cookies may be a near perfect food. It’s hard to find a bad rendition of a perfect food. 

My husband has been in a chocolate chip cookie mood lately so I’ve actually been working on developing recipes of my own at his request. I pre-warn you that due to the amazing variations one can achieve with a chocolate chip cookie, multiple cookie recipes might start popping up around here. I can’t be held responsible. I blame the cookies. Or at least my husband. 

Today’s most tasty variation seems well worth releasing out there into the internet wilds. These cookies are the extra buttery, extra chewy, soft baked type of chocolate chip cookie. They come out thin, but still kinda gooey in the middle. They are extra amazing if you add walnuts. (Oh, side note: If your one of those people who like a little crisp to the edges of their cookie, you can bake these an extra minute or two. They’ll crisp up on the edges but still stay nice and chewy in the middle.) What more do you need to know? These are YUMMY. You know you totally need to go make them right now. Ok, Ready, set, go!

Oh, wait, wait, come back! One more thing. I want to know, what’s your favorite type of chocolate chip cookie? Do you already have a favorite recipe and if so where can it be found? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Also I wanted to ask you all for some feedback on a design change. I’m considering ditching the recipe formatting plug in and posting my recipes right into the body of my blog post Smitten Kitchen style. (As seen in today’s post.) How do you guys feel about that? Now without further adieu, the cookies:

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 12 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350*.

2. In the bowl of a large stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer) cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. 

3. In a separate bowl stir together (using a spoon) the flour, baking soda baking powder, and salt. Stir well to ensure the baking soda and baking powered are well distributed throughout the flour. 

4. Add the flour mixture, eggs, and vanilla to the original bowl with the creamed butter and sugar. Use the mixer to combine. A thick dough will form. 

5. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts (optional) using the mixer. 

6. Drop about two tablespoon scoops of the cookie dough on to an un-greased baking sheet. Space the dough evenly, leaving about an inch and a half between scoops.

7. Bake at 350* for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned. The cookies will be extremely soft and doughy when removed from the oven. Allow the cookies to remain on the baking sheet for an additional ten minutes. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit. Remove cookies and transfer to a cooling rack or plate to cool fully before serving. 

Optional: Bake the cookies for an additional 1-2 minutes for a crisper edge.