Cookie of the Month: Good Chocolate Chip Recipes

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (with sour cream)

These cookies have a unique touch, a soft, cakey texture as well as a slightly tangy taste.

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sour cream
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside
With an electric mixer, cream butter, sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until combined. Add sour cream, and beat until combined. Add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate and nuts.
Drop dough in mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) at least 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets, as you work, chill the remaining dough.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, but still soft to touch. Bake 12-18 minutes, the chilled dough will take longer. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was in the New York Times years ago and was raved over by all the readers and they have published a few more times since it was first in the paper.

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
(look for at finer food stores or order at chocosphere.com

Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin. If you don't care for the large size cookies, just make the mounds smaller and lessen the cooking time to 12 minutes or until golden brown, but still soft.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.