Thick & Chewy CCCs

CCCs, more commonly know as Chocolate Chip Cookies, are crowd pleasing cookies. I don't think I've ever met someone who said no to a chocolate chip cookie. They appeal to to the tastes of many, aren't too difficult to make, and can be made big or small, depending on what you prefer. 


Chocolate chip cookies come in a variety of different textures. These recipes all use the same basic ingredients, but it's the ratio of these ingredients that determines whether the cookies will be cakey, chewy, or crisp. I happen to like chewy cookies, so back when I first started baking, I tried out many CCC recipes to find the perfect cookie: one with golden, crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. But for some reason, none of those cookies were the least bit chewy. I finally found success when I discovered Cook's Illustrated's Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie.


Another great thing about these cookies is that they are quite adaptable. Semisweet chocolate chips can be substituted with milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, butterscotch morsels, M&Ms, mini peanut butter cups, or even coarsely chopped gourmet dark chocolate. I typically like to mix in semisweet chocolate chips in one half of my dough and M&Ms into the other half. This recipe is the ultimate go-to recipe that I still use over and over today.


adapted from Cook's Illustrated's The New Best Recipe

2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (M&Ms, PB chips, etc.)

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix the dry ingredients: the flour, salt and baking soda, together in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and two sugars together. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix. Now add the dry ingredients and mix till an even dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and mix till evenly distributed.


Now you can divide the dough how you choose, into 1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tbsp portions for 36 smaller cookies. Divide your dough and shape each portion into a ball. Then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn both pieces so that the jagged side of each half faces upwards and then squish them together. Place them jagged side up on parchment lined baking sheets.

For the larger cookies, bake for 12-15 minutes, and for the small cookies, bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and set and the centers are still soft and puffy. Do not overbake. Take them out of the oven and let them finish baking on the sheets, placing the baking sheets on cooling racks. Enjoy!

Makes 18 large cookies or 36 medium cookies.