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Celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day with 'perfect' cookies

Chocolate chips are so beloved that they have their own day of celebration on May 15th. There’s no wrong way to eat these morsels, whether thrown into ice cream, muffins, pancakes or anything else we can use as an excuse for a chocolatey bite. Of course, nothing beats fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies.So pay homage to the chip, which was created by Nestle in 1941, by making these PERF
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Chocolate chips are so beloved that they have their own day of celebration on May 15th. There’s no wrong way to eat these morsels, whether thrown into ice cream, muffins, pancakes or anything else we can use as an excuse for a chocolatey bite. Of course, nothing beats fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookies.

So pay homage to the chip, which was created by Nestle in 1941, by making these PERFECT chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of Chris Kimball from America’s Test Kitchen. What makes these cookies so great? The secret is the brown butter… and lots of it. Enjoy!

Chris Kimball's perfect chocolate chip cookies (makes 16 large cookies)

  • 1 3/4 cups (83/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup packed (51/4 ounces) dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (31/2 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg plus 1 large yolk
  • 1 1/4 cups (71/2 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
  • 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)

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

Melt 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Add remaining 4 tablespoons butter and stir until completely melted.

Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla to melted butter; whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and egg yolk; whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; let cookies cool to room temperature.

Tips:

  • Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is sufficiently browned.
  • Use fresh, moist brown sugar, as hardened brown sugar will make the cookies too dry.
  • This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored.

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