Perfect Chocolate Chunk Cookie

 
 

It all started when…

I wanted to create the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Few pleasures in life actually compete with a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie. As such, I want to be the husband, dad, coworker, friend—whatever—who makes the best chocolate chip cookies. A noble goal indeed.

As it turns out, there is more than one secret to accomplishing this feat. Here is what I have learned after 6 years of baking more than 100 different iterations of the chocolate chip cookie:

  1. High-quality Browned butter

    • I use European (Kerrygold) butter in my recipe because the quality and fat content cannot be rivaled by most American butter.

    • Browning the butter introduces a nuttiness that alludes most generic cookie recipes.

    • Melting the butter assists in the spread of the cookie after baking.

  2. High-quality Chocolate

    • For a long time I used grocery store chocolate chips thinking I might create a better cookie. It never happened. Then I tried brands like Ghirardelli—no dice. Then I met a chocolate bar company that exceeds all expectations a chocolate bar brings with it. Noi Sirius makes Icelandic chocolate that makes this cookie everything it is and more.

    • Chunks and not chips. If you want the pools of oozy, fudgy, melty, chocolatey goodness, chunk your chocolate from bars rather than using chips.

  3. Mixed Flours

    • AP flour is a staple in kitchens across the world. This is a classic flour great for nearly anything.

    • Bread flour is by no means a rare commodity, but often one used less in desserts. As I learned how to use bread flour when crafting French pastries, I found the chew it brings to baked goods highly desirable.

    • Mixing the two together (in a top-secret! ratio listed below) brings both a chew and crumb to the cookie that can’t be achieved otherwise.

  4. Mixed Sugars

    • Brown sugar is just granulated sugar with molasses—sure. But their consistencies are completely different. Brown sugar aids in creating a soft and chewy cookie, while granulated or white sugar gives the cookie crisp edges. Just like flour, there should always be a mixture.

  5. Egg Yolks

    • Often we add an egg or two to a batch of cookie dough. Once I added an extra yolk (in place of the typical vanilla pudding mix trick) and it created a rich and doughy texture that can’t be rivaled or recreated.

    • Egg whites tend to assist with rising while baking, but these cookies aim for a low rise and flat look.

  6. Size matters

    • Size matters. It just does when it comes to cookies. Smaller cookies brown and crisp faster. By creating more surface area, the cookie can remain soft while crisping around the edges.

    • I use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop. You can buy them for $8 on Amazon or at your local grocery store. Uniformity is key for consistent cookies. The scooped shape with a flat bottom tend to flatten out best in the oven during the bake.

It took a lot of failure to get here, to what I think is the perfect cookie. But hey, Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of the NBA—yet he misses more than half the shots he takes. Failure is a necessity of excellence. Without further ado, the perfect chocolate chunk cookie.

Perfect Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 25 cookies

Prep Time: 35m + 24hrs
Cook Time: 12m
Cool Time: 15m

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks (227g) unsalted Kerrygold butter

  • 0.5 cup (100g) granulated sugar

  • 1 cup (200g) dark brown sugar

  • 1.5 cups (190g) AP flour

  • 1 cup (127g) bread flour

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

  • 0.5 tsp baking powder

  • 2 eggs + 1 yolk, room temperature

  • 2.5 tsp vanilla

  • 7 oz (200g) Icelandic milk chocolate toee chocolate bar, chopped

  • 5 oz (140g) Icelandic bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped

  • Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk butter occasionally as it cooks, until it becomes foamy and begins to crack and pop. Whisk butter until it develops a nutty aroma and brown bits form at the bottom. Pour finished melted butter into a large mixing bowl.

  2. Add both sugars to the hot butter, stirring with a rubber spatula to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature (15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally to aid in cooling.

  3. In a medium bowl combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

  4. Whisk eggs, yolk, and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture until combined.

  5. Stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

  6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, but no more than 48 hours.

  7. Remove from fridge and let dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop, about 1-1.5 hours.

  8. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking pads.

  9. Scoop 3 tbsp-sized balls onto prepared baking sheets—leaving 3-inches of space between each cookie.

    • At this point you can portion the dough, place it on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove frozen balls of dough to an airtight container and store for up to 6 weeks.

  10. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of the cookies. Cool for 3-4 minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.