I've been pinning these days.
It's addicting
I've found two cookie recipes claiming to be the best chocolate chip cookie ever!
So, I had to test this out.
The New York Times claims that leaving the cookie dough in the fridge for 72 hours, will make a better cookie. So, I did that.
Frankly, I'm surprised there is any dough left in the fridge after three days.
Sure, I had a nibble or two.
The thing about chilling your dough is, it's then really hard to work with.
You have to cut it.
But then, you have flat cookies - right?
I tested this too.
The recipe I picked has nutella in it.
It also has sea salt on top, but because these were from my little girl and her friends, I left that out...for now!
so, here we go...
Test one:
the simple flat cut versus the balled up version.
flat cut has a simple swipe of nutella between to pieces - like a sandwich
balled up version has a tiny teaspoon of nutella inside the centre.
How to get nutella inside:
Cut a slice of dough, cut in half again, then stack them on top of each other.
Press a hole in the centre and build up a wall of dough on the side.
Spoon in nutella.
Press the walls together over the nutella.
To be honest, it's a bit of work doing the balled up version, and I was really hoping the simple flat cut would be the winner. Or, at least be a tie.
flat on the left, ball on the right.
In the oven....
...out of the oven.
Hmmm. Clearly the balled up cookie is more appealing.
The flat cookie looks good, but the balled up version has that home made lumpy look to it.
Taste test.
And I kid you not, after all this taste testing..I get a call from my publisher - they are having a cocktail party for me in Toronto in two weeks. Halt any further taste tests!
The verdict...
Everyone picked the balled up lumpy version.
So the extra effort was worth it.
Plus, the three day chill really made them crunchy on the outside and chewy in the centre.
I applaud the New York Times for their knowledge of chilled dough, and Monique for her knowledge of good cookies.
I made some plain balled up cookies without the nutella,
added a few pecans then after they were baked, sprinkled some pink sea salt to the top...
DAMN!
that was the winner for me!
You pick...and do let me know.
Recipe - click here to jump to it...
Letting the cookie dough chill in the fridge for three days after it's mixed if from the New York Times.
I made some right away, and they really did get better after sitting that long.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam. Make sure you whisk consistently during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.
- Chill your dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or place in freezer for 30 minutes if you are super eager, although I cannot promise the same results if you do this.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 1 teaspoon of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfectly rolled! Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand VERY gently. (Really only the tops need to be flattened a bit!)
- Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
