One of my favorite memories is making chocolate chip cookies with my mom. Growing up, we really only made them for special occasions - mostly the big three holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) - and sometimes for bake sales and whatnot at school. My mom's recipe came from the Betty Crocker cookbook, and used shortening (Crisco) instead of butter, so for most of my life, I only knew shortening-based chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes I would eat chocolate chip cookies from other kids, and I couldn't figure out what was different (hint: it was the butter!).
A number of years ago, I picked up a Holiday Cookies magazine from Martha Stewart, and inside was my soon-to-be favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. The magazine had recipes for three types of chocolate chip cookies - cakey, thick and chewy, and thin and crispy. I can't recall now if I've made all three versions, but the thick and chewy is my favorite, and it's the recipe I always turn to when I make chocolate chip cookies (sorry, Mom!).
So this weekend, I went swimming. A lot. I mistakenly thought the pool was closed on Labor Day, so to overcompensate for no swimming on Monday (and I skipped Friday just because I felt like it), I swam 100 laps on Sunday. That's 3,000 yards if you're keeping track at home. And I actually swam another 5 laps to make it a full 3 miles + 1 fast lap, which is how I always end a swim. But 100 laps sounds better. Around lap 40 or so, I got a craving for chocolate chip cookies. So after the swim, I hit up the grocery store for all of the necessary ingredients.
Since we moved, our shelves haven't been stocked with many "basics", if you will. We were trying to keep down the clutter, and in NYC, we didn't really have room for a well-stocked baking pantry. But here we do!
The "secret" ingredient that really makes these cookies is coarse sea salt. I don't know what it is, but sometimes when you bite into the cookie, you will get a hint of salt. Combined with the chewy butter and sugar and then the chocolate - it's so good! For extra fun, I sprinkled the cookie dough with some granulated sugar before they went into the oven. I won't even tell you how many I've already had between last night and today. :)
Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp coarse sea salt
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (Martha recommends semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or a mix)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugars. Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in the flour mixture. Add chocolate chips. Bake for 10-12 minutes per cookie sheet. Let cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet then move to a wire rack to cool.
Martha says: Cookies can be stored in an airtight container between sheets of parchment for up to one week. [I say: Or piled lazily in a Ziploc container loosely covered with plastic wrap because they aren't going to last for a week!]
My changes: I add a little more salt and a little more vanilla than the recipe calls for. I used the Ghirardelli bittersweet (60% cacao) chips this time and they came out great, but I typically use less than the recipe calls for (1 1/2 cup to 1 2/3 cup) because I prefer my cookies with less chocolate chips in them.
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