To continue to grow and learn in life you must be humble. You must accept that you are probably not an expert in…well…anything. And there is a very good chance that there will always be somebody that knows more than you do on any given subject.

When it comes to cooking I accept that there is more to learn, though I think I have plenty to teach on the subject myself. ;)

But, when it comes to baking I will easily take a back seat and allow a real pastry chef to teach me a thing or two.

And so I'm not the least bit ashamed to say that my new favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe...is not my own.

When someone comes up with the perfect ratio of sugar to flour, the optimal amount of chocolate chips, and a simple but specific method to creating the best cookies you have ever tasted, well, you just do exactly what they do.

I live in New York City and life moves fast. I walk fast, talk fast, and my patience can go fast. But when it comes to making these cookies the key is to move sloooooowwwwly. You must actually do it by hand.

The other key is to make sure that just like Goldilocks, your butter cannot be too cold, nor too hot, but just right. Do these things and I promise your patience will be rewarded.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

servings: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons butter, softened but still cool
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter, both brown and granulated sugars until smooth but not over mixed.
Add the egg, vanilla and salt and stir just until combined. Sift in the flour, baking soda and baking powder and stir gently just until combined.
Add the chocolate chips and stir just until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form 1-1.5inch balls and set them 2 inches apart on the prepared pans. Press ball down slightly and bake the cookies 9-11minutes until the cookies are golden brown.

Notes:

The butter should not be entirely room temp. It should be soft enough to push your finger into but to do so should take a little effort.
Creaming together the sugar and butter can take a minute by hand. It’s done when it is mostly smooth and changes in color.
I have used a full bag of chocolate chips before instead of just 8 ounces and not liked the end product as much. I find the chewiness of the dough the best part of the cookie and if you have too many chips you lose that.

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

Original recipe: Elizabeth Falkner