Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies

I picked up Sherry Yard's book, "Desserts by the Yard" today and, of course, the first recipe I had to try was her chocolate chip cookie. The book is actually filled with beautiful photos of the most spectacular looking desserts, some I'll never try. But they look so darn good!

This cookie recipe has equal amount of white sugar and brown sugar yet the caramel flavor really comes through. She uses all bittersweet chocolate but I used half bittersweet and half semisweet. They came out kind of medium fat in thickness, which I personally love. And although I'm not one to love roll and slice cookies, as I've stated before, I did make some this way and I have to say they were also amazing, although the slicing part was a bit tricky. The big chunks of chocolate kept me from making a clean slice. And these were much smaller than the ones I dropped from tablespoonfuls.

The directions are pretty straightforward.
Whisk (or sift) the flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside.
Then cream the butter about 2 minutes, then add both sugars and salt and cream for about a minute.
Next add the egg and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture.
Then the chocolate chunks or chips.


I scooped them onto the parchment lined baking sheet by rounded tablespoonfuls.

And they came out a nice large size, about 3" to 3 1/2" across.

The cookies I rolled and sliced came out much smaller, about 2 1/2" across.

I could see where these would be great to freeze and slice whenever you feel like having a few cookies!

Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies ( from "Desserts by the Yard" cookbook by Sherry Yard)

Makes 48 cookies (rolled and sliced), less from the drop method depending on size

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 oz. ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1" pieces ( I used semisweet chips and bittersweet chips)

Preheat oven to 350. Place racks in middle and lower third of the oven. Line sheets with parchment paper.

1. Whisk ( or sift) together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

2. In mixer bowl with paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed til lemony yellow, about 2 minutes.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add both sugars and salt. Continue beating the mixture on medium speed til smooth and lump free, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4. Add egg and vanilla and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, til the egg is fully incorporated. Don't overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Add the chocolate chunks or chips and mix in.

6. For the slice and bake:

Remove small handfuls or spoonfuls of one half of the dough and center along the bottom of a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, creating a log about 1 1/2" wide by 12" long. Fold parchment over, creating a sausage. Twist the ends over and wrap in plastic. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill for at least one hour, preferably overnight. ( Can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 2 weeks.)

When the dough has chilled, remove it from the paper, and using a serrated knife, slice 1/3 inch thick rounds off the log. Place cookies 2" apart on the prepared sheets.

7. Bake, rotating pans, front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Bake about 12 to 15 minutes.

The cookies will keep up to 3 days at room temp.

For drop cookies, scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls and drop onto sheets, placing 2" apart. Bake as above.