Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Three years ago we spent the summer living in Zug, Switzerland for my husband's job. Zug is a small town, just outside of Zurich about 20 minutes. Big business are starting to spurt up there (thanks to some nice tax breaks), but for the most part, it's quiet, charming and rural. During the weekday, it was usually just my son and I hanging out, exploring the town and cooling off at the lake. We didn't have many friends (finding ex-pats was a bit hard to come by since my son wasn't enrolled in an American school), but the few we had were very special to us. One of the friends we made while living there was Dominique, and she was exactly the type of friend one could ask for when moving half way across the globe. She was friendly, welcoming, and very thoughtful.
One afternoon, we arrived at Dominique's house for a visit. As soon as she opened the door I I got a whiff of a scent I hadn't smelled in over a month - freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! My mouth immediately started to water, and while I tried to hold back the drool, I silently prayed that she would be sharing them with us. I had been homesick for good ol' fashioned chocolate chip cookies since the moment we arrived in Switzerland, because Switzerland doesn't do chocolate chip cookies like America does. I even tried making my own until I found out that the brown sugar in Switzerland is NOT the same brown sugar we have here. (I also didn't know at the time that you could add a little molasses to their brown sugar and turn it into the American brown sugar I'm used to.) Anyway, point being, I was elated to see a large plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the table. I obviously didn't hesitate to dig in once they were offered to me and I about melted in my seat. They were so good. Soft and chewy, just the way I like them.
I also love these cookies because they're easy and quick to make. I'll share another chocolate chip cookie recipe in the future, by Jacque Torres, that is my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie. However, his recipe is a little more intricate and it's best when you chill it overnight in the refrigerator. So, when I'm looking to make and eat chocolate chip cookies, like, right now, this is the recipe I turn to.
Back to cakes tomorrow!
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: about 3 dozen medium size cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar (semi-sweet or dark chocolate, I prefer dark)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mat.
2. In a bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla on medium speed.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix together with a whisk.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just blended. Add the chocolate chips/pieces.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown. Once the edges are cooked, you can take them out and let them sit another 1-2 minutes on the pan. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack or dig in.