Cook's Illustrated Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you want a delicious chocolate chip cookie that requires minimal effort (i.e. no chilling of the dough), this favorite from Brown-Eyed Baker fits the bill. Delicious. Plain and simple.

Cook's Illustrated Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. (10 5/8 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup packed (7 oz.) light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz.) granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions, and heat the oven to 325˚F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silipats.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients, and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart. (This makes the tops of the cookies crinkly.)

Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

Note: These oversized cookies are chewy and thick, like many of the chocolate chip cookies sold in gourmet shops and cookie stores. They rely on melted butter and an extra egg yolk to keep their texture soft. These cookies are best served warm from the oven but will retain their texture even when cooled. To ensure the proper texture, cool the cookies on the baking sheet. Oversized baking sheets allow you to get all the dough into the oven at one time. If you're using smaller baking sheets, put fewer cookies on each sheet and bake them in batches. Makes 18 large cookies.

(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)