I just had to share a few pictures of the cookies I told you I was going to make yesterday for my Valentines. They are the "Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie" from America's Test Kitchen. My husband and I are huge fans of the Cooks Illustrated Cookbooks and America's Test Kitchen show. We DVR (record) the show every Saturday at noon so when we come in from working at River Bend for our lunch break we can watch it and when we get interupted to go take care of a customer (which almost always happens) we can pause the recording so we don't miss a thing. This week they showed these cookies. Well, both Chuck and I love Cookies so this was a must re-create! They are a little different than your regular chocolate chip cookie recipe from the back of the bag but still very easy to make.
Here are a few pictures of mine then I copied the recipe below...not sure how "Kosher" that is but I guess if the Test Kitchen Police come to me I will take it off.
Look at the Size of those thing first of all! They are HUGE!
You can only fit 6 on a cooling rack but YUM don't they look good!
The recipe is supposed to make 16 but I got 14 out of mine. I would have done 16 if I had read that in the actual recipe but I took my recipe off the show and they never said how many it made. I read this later. I have yet to try one so I can't tell you if they are the BEST Chocolate chip Cookie so I will be reporting in on the taste test results later.
Here is the Test Kitchen recipe or you can click on the Link above to print your own.
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
from the Episode: The Cookie Jar
Avoid using a nonstick skillet to brown the butter; the dark color of the nonstick coating makes it difficult to gauge when the butter is browned. Use fresh, moist brown sugar instead of hardened brown sugar, which will make the cookies dry. This recipe works with light brown sugar, but the cookies will be less full-flavored. For our winning brand of chocolate chips, see related tasting.
Makes 16 cookies
| 1 3/4 | cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces) |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 14 | tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) |
| 1/2 | cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces) |
| 3/4 | cups packed dark brown sugar (5 1/4 ounces) (see note) |
| 1 | teaspoon table salt |
| 2 | teaspoons vanilla extract |
| 1 | large egg |
| 1 | large egg yolk |
| 1 1/4 | cups semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (see note) |
| 3/4 | cup chopped pecan or walnuts, toasted (optional) |
See Illustrations Below: Don't Bake in Batches
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 tablespoons (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but will require 3 batches.)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.
Step-by-Step: Don't Bake in Batches
Baking two trays at a time may be convenient, but it leads to uneven cooking. The cookies on the top tray are often browner around the edges than those on the bottom, even when rotated halfway through cooking.
 TOP RACK |
 BOTTOM RACK |
Even a tablespoon too much or too little flour can have an impact on cookies. Here's how to measure accurately.
 PREFERRED: WEIGH FLOUR For the greatest accuracy, weigh flour before using it. Put a bowl on a scale, hit the "tare" button to set the scale to zero, and scoop the flour into the bowl. |
 SECOND-BEST: DIP AND SWEEP Dip a dry measuring cup into the flour, sweeping away excess flour with a flat edge. This method yields more accurate results than spooning flour into a measuring cup. |
Here's how we improved on the Toll House classic to create an even better cookie.
 TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Creamed Solid Butter Creaming butter creates a cakier texture in cookies. |
 OUR RECIPE: 1 Whole Egg, 1 Yolk Eliminating one egg white also boosts chewiness. |
 OUR RECIPE: Browned, Melted Butter Melting butter contributes to chewiness; browning it enhances flavor. |
 TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: 2 Whole Eggs Whole eggs contribute to a drier texture. |
 TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Beat and Bake Baking the dough immediately after mixing doesn't allow the sugar to dissolve as fully as possible. |
 OUR RECIPE: Whisk and Wait Whisking sugar into the liquid ingredients and then waiting 10 minutes allows more of it to dissolve, setting up better flavor and texture. |
 TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Less Dough The smaller the cookie, the more uniform its texture. |
 OUR RECIPE: More Dough Three tablespoons of dough per cookie increases its crisp-chewy contrast. |
 TOLL HOUSE RECIPE: Equal Amounts Brown and White Sugar A 1-1 ratio of brown to white sugar creates a cookie that's neither crisp nor chewy. |
 OUR RECIPE: More Brown Sugar Using more brown sugar than white makes for a chewier cookie. |
Crunchy edges, chewy centers, and big butterscotch flavors—that chocolate chip cookie framework sounded pretty sweet to us. As it turns out, perfect cookies have a lot to do with sugar and how it’s treated. Sugar that is dissolved in liquid before baking caramelizes more readily than sugar that simply melts when exposed to the same amount of heat. What would happen if we rested our cookie batter after we added the sugar to allow more of it to dissolve before going into the oven? EXPERIMENT We prepared two batches of our Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. Dough from the first batch went straight from the mixing bowl onto the baking sheet; the other batch rested for 10 minutes (with occasional whisking) after we combined the sugar with the recipe’s liquids. RESULTS Cookies baked from the rested batter boasted not only richer, deeper flavor but also crisper edges. EXPLANATION Dissolving the sugar in liquid provided by the melted butter, vanilla
