My Right Now Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This is my Right Now recipe for two reasons. First, it’s the one I have been making the most lately. Chocolate chip cookie recipes are sort of like a favorite sweater—I have one on heavy rotation for a while until another one comes along, but I will always cycle back around to my former faves. I could never settle on just one.

Secondly, this is the one that I can make, start to finish, in 30 minutes and have warm cookies on the table from fridge-cold butter, thanks to the muscle from the stand mixer. They are delicious baked straightaway and even better after the dough rests in the fridge, so making them is both a gift for right now and for the future. And while I can in good conscience recommend the dough stays well in the fridge for a week or two, in reality I have left it in there much longer and the cookies have still turned out great when baked. :)

This recipe is adapted from the internet-famous NYT Jacques Torres recipe; I’ve simplified it for my pantry, my tastes, a more demure cookie size, and my preferred CCC timeline, which is almost always ASAP.

RIGHT NOW CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Makes about 36 cookies

INGREDIENTS

—2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter

—1 cup brown sugar, packed

—1 cup white sugar, packed

—2 eggs

—2 tsp real vanilla extract

—3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

—2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, or 1.5 tsp salt

—1 1/4 tsp baking soda

—1 1/2 tsp baking powder

—10-12 oz, or one package, dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet if that’s what you have)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, place butter and both sugars. Mix on very low at first, guarding for flying butter and sugar, until it starts to get incorporated and then mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is homogenous, about one minute.

While mixer is stopped, add flour, sprinkling over the wet mixture, then sprinkle the salt, baking powder and baking soda over the top. Mix again on low until dry ingredients are just about fully incorporated, and then dump in the chocolate chips, mixing another 20-30 seconds until they are somewhat evenly dispersed, using a spatula to finish the job if necessary.

Form cookies into rounded tablespoonfuls a few inches apart on a baking sheet. I can usually fit 12 on a standard sheet.

Bake for 7-10 minutes, until cookies look dry on top or until tops are the slightest bit golden brown, rotating front to back if necessary at around 7 minutes to help them bake evenly. Underdone is preferable to overdone IMHO!

Cool on sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool fully.

Remaining dough can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks (or more!) and baked at your leisure. I find it’s easier to make the balls right after the dough is made if you can spare the time, and store it pre-balled, but it’s not necessary by any means.

Enjoy!!