How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Vivant

By Leah Bourne, The Vivant

Thomas Keller may be the force behind two of the most famous restaurants in the country-Per Se in New York City and The French Laundry in Yountville, California-but apparently one of his favorite things to eat isn't topped in foie gras or Black Winter Truffles-it is chocolate chip cookies. In his cookbook Ad Hoc At Home he revealed: "There's a comfort in things that are with us all our lives. My favorite? Without hesitation: chocolate chip. Ideally, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside."

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Given that this is a Keller recipe, we simply can't wait to make these cookies ourselves. Read on for the easy-to-follow recipe.

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Thomas Keller's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Note: From Ad Hoc At Home, by Thomas Keller with Dave Cruz, along with Susie Heller, Michael Ruhlman and Amy Vogler.

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 ounces 55% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)
5 ounces 70 to 72% chocolate, cut into chip-sized pieces (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup packed dark brown sugar, preferably molasses sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Directions:
1. Position the oven racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir in the salt.

3. Put the chips in a fine-mesh basket strainer and shake to remove any chocolate "dust" (small fragments).

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat, half the butter on medium speed until fairly smooth. Add both sugars and the remaining butter, and beat until well combined, then beat for a few minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the next and scraping the bowl as necessary. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Mix in the chocolate.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold the dough with a spatula to be sure that the chocolate is evenly incorporated.

6. Using about two level tablespoons per cookie, shape dough into balls. Arrange eight cookies on each pan, leaving about two inches between them, because the dough will spread.

7. Bake for twelve minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny, switching the position and rotating pans halfway through baking.

8. Cool cookies on the pans on cooling racks for about two minutes to firm them up a bit, then transfer to the racks to cool completely. Repeat with second batch of cookies. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.


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