Mustard With Mutton

I know the title of “best chocolate chip cookie” is a big call but I stand by the statement. If you love chewy cafe style chocolate chip cookies then this recipe is one you’re going to want to try. My family devours these and I have not used any other method since I tried this recipe. These cookies are simple to throw together but I will point out a couple of important steps. Firstly, don’t skip resting the dough in the fridge before forming and baking. This helps give the cookies their lovely chewy texture. It’s also a good idea when you roll the cookies not to make perfect round ball shapes. I like to roll a heaped tablespoon into a ball then separate it in half and lightly squidge them together. This allows some of the chocolate chips to peek through and sit on top of the cookie which makes for better eating.  Lastly, don’t over bake them. Test a couple in your oven and see how long it takes for them to be at the just golden stage. In my oven this takes 12 minutes. At this point the cookies are way to soft to be able to remove from the baking sheet, but just let them sit for about 5 minutes and then you can carefully (because they’ll still be a soft) transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you over bake you’ll end up with crispy rather than chewy cookies which is not what we’re after. This recipe yields a lot of cookies but they last for a week or more in an airtight container and you’ll be surprised at just how quickly they disappear!

Ingredients – Makes 20-24 cookies  Adapted from Host the Toast

2 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons corn flour
½ teaspoon salt
180g butter, melted and cooled
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups dark chocolate chips

Method

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, corn flour, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the cooled melted butter and the sugars with a hand mixer for about one minute. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until just combined.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix briefly, just until there are no flour clumps left. Fold in the chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 160C, making sure you have the racks in the middle to the top half of the oven.

Scoop a heaped tablespoon of cookie dough – about the size of a ping pong ball,  at a time and roll into balls. Then, tear the balls in half by pulling gently on both sides. Smush the two halves together again, but this time have the lumpy, torn sides face upward. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure the cookies have space to spread.

Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating half-way through, or until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden, but the center of the cookie still looks soft and just slightly under-cooked. Let cool on the baking sheets until the cookies are firm enough to remove. Every oven is different, so I recommend starting with just one or two cookies on the tray to see what baking time works best for you. Repeat with remaining batches, until all cookies are baked.