Who decides what makes something “the best”? When it comes to food, everyone has their own unique palate and preference, so the blanket superlative of “best” seems sort of ridiculous to me.
And yet, I’ve been trying to develop the “best” chocolate chip cookie recipe for months—I guess the ego is REAL. Looking back, all of my favorite cookies were made by my mom and eaten right out of the oven, most likely using the Toll House recipe on the back of the chocolate chips. With that recipe being over 50 years old—some sources citing at least 80—I can’t be the only one who has had that experience either. And, while I still think the best chocolate chip cookies are made with love by someone else, I want to try and create a cookie that gives me all those same warm and gooey feelings while also balancing sweet, salty, and bitter, and my love for all things caramel-y.
In an attempt to proactively procrastinate (a skill I might need to add to my resume), I decided to compare and contrast some of the internet’s most popular chocolate chip cookie recipes in order to see what I like vs. what thousands of reviewers like.
The contestants? Four, easily accessible cookie recipes, touting to be “the best” and all having a hook that sets them apart from the crowd. The judges? My husband and I. The prize? Title of our household’s favorite cookie (the highest honor). All of the cookies were made following the recipes’ exact instructions and turned out great. I can absolutely see why they’ve been labeled the best! So there are no losers here, only two very full, very happy people. Do you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe that isn’t mentioned here? Share it in the comments below!
The Contestants:
Sally’s Baking Addiction: This recipe uses corn starch to maximize lift, creating a soft, insanely fluffy cookie. We loved the ratio of chocolate chips to dough and the puff was as beautiful as advertised.
Broma Bakery: These cookies are made with brown butter, which adds a nice nutty flavor. Additionally, they have a full tablespoon of vanilla in them, which is a huge plus in my book.
Levain Bakery: These cookies are ginormous, chock-a-block full of walnuts for added texture, and use cake flour to minimize tough-cookie syndrome. They also don’t require any chill time, so they can be in the oven the moment you have a cookie craving.
But, the winner is:
The Legendary Jacques Torres Cookie from Dinner then Dessert: Andrew and I both agree that these cookies were the winner! Puddles of chocolate, flavorful dough, and the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and slightly bitter. They take a full 24 hours to chill, which can feel like a lifetime, but it makes a boatload of dough and freezes well, so one bake will last you a while. The recipe calls for both bread flour and cake flour, and chocolate disks instead of chips to create those puddles. (Full disclosure: I had to substitute some chocolate chips in since I’m a lady on a budget and ran out of disks. The result was still great.) Do yourself a favor and make these right away!
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©️ 2021 Elyse Creates | Site by Maya Palmer Designs