The chocolate chip cookies everyone is going nuts over

I made a batch of these for company. The company went a little nuts for them. My husband went a little nuts for them. The neighbors enjoyed them the following day. These are the kind you eat one, maybe two of (and I am NOT usually that girl) and are full.
This recipe does things a little differently and I went ahead and listened instead my usual routine of sniffing skeptically and making up work-arounds that require minimal effort and time.
I saw significant effects from:
1) letting dough set up overnight in the fridge
2) using the paddle instead of the wire whip attachment on my mixer
3) using two kinds of flour and sifting each like crazy

Leite’s Consummate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from David Leite via The New York Times

Takes: 45 minutes, plus at least 24 hours’ chilling
Makes: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour (I used pastry flour and could taste it, which was both good and bad)
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter (whoops, I just realized I used 3...I'll be back; I need to go for a run now)
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I found dark chocolate chunks at Wh. Fds.)
Sea salt (skipped this step)

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and try to incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. [Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.]

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.



http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/leites-connusmate-chocolate-chip-cookie/

Comments

Alissa said…
Funny - I've had these in my "to bake" pile, but I've been waiting until I get myself some sea salt. I've heard that makes a difference. The whole "salting the tops of cookies" thing is new for me.
Anonymous said…
I didn't do that part but they were still pretty cool.
gwen said…
I'm a fan -- I like the teeny bit of salty sweetness. Alissa, some of the cookies I originally made for your shower were these crunchy brown sugar/sea salt concoctions that totally crumbled in transport, so we didn't serve them. But my housemates ate up all the crumbs afterward and pronounced them delicious.

Hefk, I wanted to make those cookies as soon as I saw them on Smitten Kitchen and now I want them even more because of your endorsement, but I don't have a mixer. If you can tell the difference with paddle vs. wire thingies, could I possibly do it without the appliance at all?
Anonymous said…
it seems to me that cookies made with a wooden spoon and elbow grease would taste EVEN BETTER!

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