darrell smith

March 11, 2023

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Equipment

Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons butter , softened
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon cornstarch
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Combine softened butter with brown sugar and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined, about 1 minute.
  • Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until the ingredients are well mixed.
  • In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients to the cookie dough batter. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to form.
  • Fold in the chocolate chips.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking sheet. Scoop the dough using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Roll the dough into balls.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. The center of the cookies should look slightly underbaked.
  • Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes
Expert Tips
  • Measure the flour correctly: To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup made for dry ingredients and slightly overfill it. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
  • The best way to soften butter is to put it out on the kitchen counter for a half hour before you want to use it. 
  • Line the baking sheet: Use a silicone mat or parchment paper to line your baking or cookie sheet. I don't recommend coating your baking sheet with butter or oil spray because it creates an overly greasy sheet that will make your cookies spread.
  • Use a large spoon or cookie scoop: I use a cookie scoop that holds about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of cookie dough. Using this size will yield 6-7 cookies. A cookie scoop ensures that all the cookies are the same size so that they bake evenly.
  • Make photo-worthy chocolate chip cookies: A secret to making beautiful chocolate chip cookies that are loaded with bits of chocolate is to press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the balls of cookie dough right before baking. I usually do this when I'm bringing a small batch of chocolate chip cookies to a friend or neighbor.