New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a young girl, rushing home from school on baking day, I was greeted by the mouth-watering, sweet scent of cookies. There were chocolate drop cookies, sour cream cookies and my favorite, chocolate chip cookies, covering the surface of every counter. Packed away in special corrugated boxes that my father designed (that’s what happens when you’re in the paper business. No Tupperware in our house!), and stored in the freezer, the cookies were enjoyed as after-school treats, bedtime snacks and shared with friends and neighbors.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

The chocolate chip cookie that my family enjoys went through several iterations, from the recipe in my mother’s dog-eared copy of McCall’s Cookie Collection, to the version on the back of the chocolate chip package. I continued to experiment, searching for that elusive chewy cookie with crisp, caramelized edges and just the right amount of chocolate chips. That is, until I came across this recipe for the penultimate chocolate chip cookie, adapted from chef Jacques Torres by David Leite, published in the New York Times in 2009.

This is no ordinary chocolate chip cookie. It requires at least a 24-hour chilling period for the cookie dough. In extensive testing, New York Times recipe developer, David Leite, allowed the same batch of cookie dough a 12 hour, 24 hour and 36 hour rest in the refrigerator. Following a 12 hour chilling period, the cookie dough was drier and the baked cookies had a pleasant, slightly pale appearance. After 24 hours, the cookies “looked like the handsomer, more tanned older brothers of the younger batch”, with a richer flavor and underlying notes of caramel and toffee. However the batch that rested for 36 hours baked up the most evenly, were a “deeper shade of brown than their predecessors … and had an even richer, more sophisticated taste”.

It appears that chilling cookie dough prior to baking really does make a difference. In fact, chilling cookie dough for as little as 30 minutes makes a big difference. But how does it work?

According to baker PJ Hamel at King Arthur Flour,
1. Chilling cookie dough controls spread.
Chilling cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat and the less the cookies spread. In addition, the sugar in the dough gradually absorbs liquid. Less “free” liquid also reduces cookie spread.

2. Chilling cookie dough concentrates flavor.
As the dough chills, it gradually dries out, concentrating the flavors of all the ingredients. In addition, as the dough rests, part of the flour breaks down into its component parts, including a simple carbohydrate, sugar. Sugar is a flavor enhancer and for this reason, the cookies taste sweeter and more flavorful after chilling.

3. Chilling cookie dough changes texture.
As the cookie dough dehydrates during the chilling period, the sugar in the dough becomes more concentrated. The higher percentage of sugar creates cookies with a chewy, crisp texture rather than a soft doughy texture.

Note that these results can be applied to other kinds of plain drop cookie dough that go through a rest period before baking.

This recipe calls for cake flour and bread flour. If you do not have bread and/or cake flours, you can easily substitute all-purpose flour for this combination without any significant change in the outcome. I’ve included weight measurements as well as volume measurements in this recipe. (I always use a scale when I make this recipe to get the exact same result every time.) So follow the recipe and be sure to refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 24 hours for a gourmet chocolate chip cookie with unsurpassed flavor.

Assemble your ingredients. I use both bread and pastry flour as the original recipe recommends. Combine the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside. If using volume measurements, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. 

Using a stand mixer with the paddle beater, cream together the margarine or butter, and sugars on medium speed, beating for about 5 minutes until very light. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix until they are just incorporated (the flour disappears). Add the chocolate chips and stop the mixer. Scrape the cookie dough into a container with a resealable lid or cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours or up until 72 hours.

One hour before baking, remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Allowing the cookie dough to stand at room temperature makes it easier to scoop the dough. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon-sized  cookie scoop, form balls of cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets. If you run out of baking sheets, continue forming the balls of dough on sheets of parchment paper. When the baking sheet(s) in use cool off, slide the parchment paper with the balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes until they are light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool. 

These cookies can be formed into balls and frozen raw. Bake off as many cookies as you need. Increase the baking time by a couple of minutes. These cookies freeze very well in an airtight resealable container. 

Print Recipe

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By Jacques Torres, adapted by David Leite, published in the New York Times, 2009 and adapted modestly by me – Serves: 60

Prep Time: 15 minutes + chilling time – Cooking Time: 10 minutes per baking sheet – Total Time: 70 minutes + chilling time

Golden brown, chewy chocolate chip cookies with caramel toffee bass notes, crisp, caramelized edges and just the right amount of chocolate chips.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces or 2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge
• 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a straight edge
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• Sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

1

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

2

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter or margarine, and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Add in the chocolate chips. Scrape the dough into an airtight container with a resealable lid or cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F . Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. Set aside.

4

Using a one-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or two spoons, form cookie dough into balls on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt if desired. Bake the cookies on the middle rack of the oven for 9-10 minutes until light golden brown. Allow them to cool and enjoy!

Notes

According to recipe developer David Leite, " Using bread flour and cake flour creates a higher protein level than all-purpose flour, giving [the cookies] a bit more tooth." Other cookie bakers have reported using all-purpose flour with good results. These cookies freeze beautifully.