Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are my favorite! I love the combination of soft pumpkin cookies topped with a tangy not too heavy lemon icing. October, month of pumpkin desserts. Blogs, websites and magazines are filled with cookies, pies, breads and cakes made with pumpkin. I like, but don’t love pumpkin. And I have a hub… Read More
A few months ago I took a drive with my sis in law Sheri to a cute little cafe up a local canyon. Kind of a summer kick off lunch adventure. We ate outside, talked, laughed and enjoyed the beautiful summer afternoon. We left with about 4 desserts each. Most normal people want to try… Read More
This recipe was originally printed in the Pinch of Salt Lake cookbook, a Jr. League cookbook from SLC. Best in the world Oatmeal Cookies are soft and chewy and melt in your mouth delicious. I dare you to find a better oatmeal cookie recipe! Really? Best in the World Oatmeal Cookies? That’s what they are… Read More
Last night was the final choir concert of the year at Bountiful High. It always makes me a little sad to watch that concert. Next year, we will have watched a total of 9 years of choir concerts at BHS. Larry Smith, the director, does an amazing job with kids in the choirs. I mean,… Read More
Mine. All mine, still. Cutler’s yummy Brownie Marshmallow Cookie Once in a while, I get a chocolate craving (actually, that would be every few hours)… and believe it or not, sometimes, I don’t feel like baking. So I hop in the car, drive down the street, and buy a Brownie Marshmallow Cookie from Cutler’s… Read More
March Madness is one of our favorite times of the year. We love the NCAA tournament,and love it even more when the UTES get in. I tried out this recipe for March Madness Whoopie Pies last night. Whoopie Pies are popular in the state of Maine and in Amish communities. They are suppose to be… Read More
My kids love Snickerdoodles. This recipe is from a cookbook we received as a wedding present waaay back in 1982. It is a funny little ward (church) cookbook named “Ensign Fifth Favorites”. We call it the Ruby Clark Cookbook. Ruby Clark was a member of Grant’s ward when his family lived on the avenues back… Read More
It’s officially the Month of Love. Chocolate=love in my home. I found this recipe a few years back when I subscribed to Food Network’s 12 days of Cookies (Christmas time tradition). They send a new cookie recipe for 12 days in a row in November. In the 3 or 4 years I have subscribed, this… Read More
Did you know the UTES went 12-0 this season and are playing in the SUGAR BOWL in New Orleans?? You did? Oh, well, sorry- didn’t mean to gush. UTE Sugar Bowl Cookies have a shortbread like texture. I made some last week and frosted half of the cookies with a cream cheese frosting and Brookie… Read More
Giant Ginger Cookies is another crowd pleasing fall favorite! This recipe was adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe for Ginger Cookies. Print Giant Ginger Cookies Author Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Ingredients 4 ½ cups all purpose flour 4 teaspoon ground ginger 2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon… Read More
Remember all of that nonsense about peanut butter and chocolate?? I went on and on about how much I love those two together? Well, the other day I was talking to my dear friend Vickie, and she told me about this kid favorite. Peanutbutter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies. We met (what seems like) 100 years… Read More
The story of Crazy for Chocolate- Chocolate Chip Cookies. It’s Friday afternoon and chocolate chip cookies have been on my mind all day. I need some cookies, or in my friend Erin’s words- If I don’t get some cookies “I ‘m going to have to hurt you”. I start to get out ingredients for… Read More
Are you a chocolate chip cookie fan? Then you’ve probably heard of The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, (touted to be the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the world) adapted from Jacques Torres, crazy famous pastry chef and chocolatier. I’m long overdue in making the NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and seeing for myself if it is indeed the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever!
I think the reason why it took me so long to try this recipe was I felt ABK’s Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookie was so good, why would I need to ever try another recipe? Several years have passed, 6 to be exact, since I first posted my Tried and True recipe. For those of you who haven’t tried it, my Tried and True recipe is a thick chewy cookie with a slight bit of crunch on the outside, and a soft center. It’s a 20 minute start to finish success every single time! But I started to think. Maybe there’s something better. Or different AND better than the Tried and True…the wheels started turning and I launched into experimenting with the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe my friend Barbara first told me about years ago…
The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie is reported to have a perfect crunchy exterior with a gooey middle. I could go on for days about the comparisons of the Tried and True to the NYT Cookies! I’ll answer a few questions and hopefully you’ll leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts…
Get comfy, because this post is going to answer all of your answers to life’s most important questions…about chocolate chip cookie making, or at least about making the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe!
Why is this recipe such a big deal? As far as my research shows, Jacques Torres shared his original recipe with the NY Times and they printed it around 2008. The writer of the original article is David Leite. Today, if you google “New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe” you will be presented with 979,000 links referencing the famed recipe! This recipe sets itself apart from other recipes for chocolate chip cookies for a few reasons:
1. The cookie dough is refrigerated for (suggested) 12-48 hours. Readers have recommended 48 hours, the recipe suggests 36 hours resting time in the refrigerator. To me, that’s a long time to wait for a finished product. Especially when we are talking chocolate chip cookies!
Big deal #2. The amount of chocolate in the cookie. The recipe suggests 1.25 pounds. Yes, pounds of chocolate. Not chocolate chips (the typical chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for one bag approx 11-12 oz of chocolate chips). Bittersweet chocolate discs or “faves”, at least 60 percent cacao content. You can purchase the discs online for approx $30/2 lbs. Since the recipe calls for 1.25 lbs, this is a pretty steep price to pay for chocolate in chocolate chip cookies. On my first try, I used a high quality chocolate, similar to the discs found online. Were they worth it? I don’t think the average consumer will appreciate the difference in chocolate that sells for $5-7 per lb as opposed to double the price (or more). I found the Trader Joe’s “Pound Plus” Dark Chocolate bar Imported from Belgium, 1 lb 1.6 oz, worked well in this recipe. If you purchase two bars, you will use all of one plus one row of chocolate from the second bar. I believe it was under $6 for the bar. Make sure to go to Trader Joe’s to purchase, the Amazon price is quite a bit more than if you are purchasing in store. The TJ brand melts nicely and also has a rich dark chocolate flavor that is perfect for this cookie. I also think it would be perfectly fine to use only one of the Trader Joe’s bars.
How does the new York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie compare to other chocolate chip cookie recipes, including ABK’s signature Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookies? If you like chocolate more than you like cookie dough, you’ll love this cookie. The best way to describe this cookie is a lot of chocolate and a little cookie. It has the appearance, flavor and texture of a cookie you purchase from a high end bakery. Very pretty, and the flavor is rich and delicious. If you’ve made ABK’s Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookies, you will probably still love this cookie. It’s difficult to compare. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. Two totally different types of chocolate chip cookies! The Tried and True are still my favorite. When you break apart the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie, you see chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. When you break into a Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookie, you’ll see cookie and chocolate. Apples and oranges my friends!
Does the flour (all purpose, bread flour, cake flour) you use really make a difference? Yes, it does. First let me say when I post a recipe and go through testing stages, I think of my reader. Will they feel it is within their reach to successfully make this recipe? Will they have most of the ingredients on hand? Will they be able to use the ingredients purchased for this recipe in another recipe on my site, or will that full bag of cake flour sit unused until it is finally tossed? With that in mind, I started experimenting. I always have cake and bread flour on hand, so no big deal for me to make a cookie that requires both. I’m not a huge fan of cake flour in cookies, mostly because I have a really sensitive nose and I don’t love the scent of cake flour in cookies. Probably because it smells like…CAKE. And I want my cookies to smell like cookies, not cake.
I tested this recipe several different ways. First try, with all purpose flour and bread flour. It created a cookie that was easily baked right at the moment it was mixed up, no refrigeration required. The bread flour has a higher protein content, (which in turn helps with gluten development) than all purpose flour and will create a chewier cookie. If you were to make this cookie with only bread flour, it would have a very heavy texture. But combining it with AP flour gives the cookie the perfect texture. I also tried following the original recipe exactly and didn’t see much of a difference using the recommended cake flour and bread flour combination. Using only all purpose flour and then baking right away didn’t produce a great result. The cookies were too flat and didn’t have enough of a rise. I’m sticking with the All Purpose and bread flour combo. If you would like to read more about the science behind the flours and refrigeration of the dough before baking this is an excellent in depth article. Also, for those of us living in high elevation, the bread flour and AP flour combo works well!
Why is it ok to beat the butter for 5 minutes in this recipe, when I am always preaching NO OVER BEATING in the Tried and True recipe? The refrigeration of the cookie dough changes everything. In the Tried and True recipe, as well as most of the recipes for cookies posted on ABK, I recommend being careful about over mixing the butters and sugars so they won’t become too soft. The NY Times recipe calls for beating the butter, sugars and eggs for 5 minutes. The refrigeration, again, changes the consistency of the dough. The Tried and True cookies were developed with no refrigeration needed. I wanted a recipe that could be mixed up, baked and served in minutes.
Refrigeration of the dough in the NY Times recipe allows the soft ingredients to soak up the flours and other dry ingredients. Refrigeration also allows the butter to solidify again. Most recipes, including the original Toll House recipe call for refrigeration of the dough (intended by the original creator, but not included on the package recipe). I feel refrigeration is key to producing a great cookie if you don’t want to be concerned with over mixing butter and sugars together. If you take a look at most chocolate chip cookie recipes, they are, for the most part the same 8-10 ingredients, with slightly different measurements. My two cents? The main secret to producing great cookies most often lies in two methods: 1. not over beating butter and sugar, so it won’t become too soft and therefore produce a flat cookie. OR 2. Refrigerate the dough to insure the cookies will not flatten while baking.
Is it really necessary to refrigerate the dough for 36-48 hours?? I tried refrigerating the dough for 12, 24, 36 and 48 hours. I also tried no refrigeration of dough and baking immediatley after I made the cookie dough. I consider myself to be a pretty harsh critic of cookies. Especially chocolate chip cookies. The refrigerated dough produced a cookie with more body. The caramel like texture of the cookie that the author and many readers described (after 36 hour refrigeration) was difficult for me to detect because there was SO MUCH CHOCOLATE in the cookie. If you reduce the chocolate a bit, the caramel like texture in the cookie dough comes through a bit more! If you make the dough and bake the cookies right away, the cookie will spread quite a bit and produce a large, thin cookie. I quite liked this method. I’m a fairly impatient person when it comes to wanting my sweets now, not 48 hours from now. Waiting 36-48 hours before baking, to me, is the biggest draw back of making this recipe…too much wait time! I don’t believe it is necessary to wait 36-48 hours for a killer cookie. Yes, they are maybe a bit better, but notably better than waiting an hour or two at most for the dough to solidify? Not for me. If you are baking the cookies from a solid refrigerated state, preheat the oven and bake the cookies for 18 minutes. It sounds like a long time, but it works. If the cookies are at room temperature, they will require less baking time. All that said, if you have the time, refrigerate and wait. I think you will be very happy with the results!
Can I use chocolate chips instead of discs or cut up chocolate? How do I find affordable chocolate? This question largely answered in question one, above. I will say that in one batch I used chocolate chips, semisweet. They were good, but did’t give the cookies the WOW factor that was found when using cut up chocolate or the discs.
Why is there such a variation in the size of the cookies photographed? And what about convection vs traditional bake? The flattest and largest cookies were made without refrigeration, with the combo of All Purpose flour and Bread flour. The puffiest cookies were made after refrigeration for 24-48 hours. I did not flatten the cookies before baking, they were baked after formed into large (3.25 oz balls). They also were not thawed at all after removing dough from refrigerator. The recipe suggests placing the container of dough into the fridge, before scooping out, but I found it easier to scoop, place on a cookie sheet and then refrigerate.
I always bake my Tried and True’s using a convection oven. I thought it would be beneficial to readers to have a recipe that produced a great cookie using a traditional bake (not convection bake) oven setting, since so many readers don’t have access to a convection oven! Every time I baked the New York Times recipe, I use the regular BAKE setting on my oven. Baked on center rack, one sheet at a time, and I did not turn the pan during baking.
Did that answer every question you might possibly have?? If not, leave me a comment and I’ll answer as soon as humanly possible!
In the end, I loved the NY Times cookie. If you want to make a truly spectacular chocolate chip cookie, I think you’ll love this recipe. Baking for a total foodie and want to impress? This recipe is going to make a statement. Also, as a side note, I distributed these cookies to several different taste testers. The comments ranged from “Amazing” to “WOW, best cookie ever” to “I still like your Tried and True recipe better”. I guess you’ll have to try both out and decide for yourself!
I’ve altered the original recipe to simplify some of the steps. I’ve also listed the recipe with my alterations in ( ) next to the original recipe. Happy baking and make sure to come back and let us know about your experience with this recipe!
In the past few days I’ve altered this post several times…remembering little things I forgot to add to the post. From this point forward, I’ll continue to add to this post, but Ill make any notes in this section. Just in case you didn’t get your fill in the 5,000 word post above!
Gluten Free option! I forgot to share this link for the Gluten Free Option on this recipe. The recipe, posted by Shauna, of Gluten Free Girl, has received lots of positive comments, which is always a good sign. If you try the GF recipe, please leave a comment here so others can benefit from your baking experience!
One of the 1 lb 1.6 oz bars from Trader Joe’s is plenty of chocolate for this recipe! I used to buy two bars and cut off enough to equal the called for 1.25 lbs but one of the bars works well. I now only use 1 chopped bar for this recipe.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and white and brown sugars together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Add flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate to the butter and sugar mixture in mixing bowl.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat if desired. You may also bake directly on cookie sheet. Do not grease pan.
Sprinkle cookie dough balls lightly with sea salt and bake for about 15-18 minutes if the dough is at room temperature, 18 minutes if the dough is baked from a refrigerated state.
The cookies are done when the tops are golden or a crust has formed and the edges are slightly crispy. The middle of the cookie will fall after removed from oven and cooled.
The remaining dough may be frozen for a month or refrigerated for up to five additional days if covered tightly.
-I prefer using 2 cups of All Purpose flour and 1 cup of bread flour-The original recipe calls for mixing the chocolate in by hand so the chocolate pieces will not be broken up, I like the breaking up of the chocolate in the cookies a bit, so I simply mix the chocolate in with the flour mixture using the stand mixer set on low. -Trader Joe's Pound Plus Chocolate works well in this recipe and is affordable for most cooks. It is sold in large 1 lb 1.6 oz bars. I use one bar for this recipe, no need to add any additional chocolate. -If you want to produce large flat cookies, bake the cookies immediately after mixing the dough.-This recipe will yield approximately 18-19 large cookies (1/4 cup size scoop) You may also use a smaller scoop, which will yield about 3 dozen 3 inch cookies.
I love knowing the science behind baking. After all, baking is chemistry. I love TJ chocolate you suggested. I use it for all my chocolate chunk cookies and I also like it for my chocolate mouse. It’s a good value. I still am partial to a fluffy chocolate chip like your tried and true. If I want to eat a lot of chocolate, who needs a little bit of cookie?????
I agree. The science behind baking is fascinating to me! If my science teachers in school would have related everything to cooking I might have been a stellar student!! hahaha. The TJ chocolate is a find. I’m going back to stock up. I can see myself using it in all types of cooking. I love the Tried and True as well! Thanks Bonnie,
These cookies were so so good! I was lucky enough to eat some of these babies made by Si herself! I agree they are totally different from the tried and true cookies which I think are the best chocolate chip cookies in the world! Si is a cookie master. I really liked the flavor of the chocolate from Trader Joes. Not only was there a lot of chocolate but it was really yummy chocolate. It was a totally new experience having so much chocolate in a cookie, yum!!! Also the cookie had a perfect balance of salt and sweet. Delish! I think if I had to pick a winner I’d say my favorite is still Si’s tried and true chocolate chip cookies. You just can’t beat them! I will definitely be adding these New York cookies recipe to my list of favorites though! Thanks for all the thorough information Si, I feel like I learned a lot about cookie making while I was reading.
You are so sweet! Thanks for being a taste tester 🙂 and for leaving such a thoughtful comment! I agree the TJ chocolate flavor is excellent. I’ve never used it before making this cookie. Now, I’m going to have to add it my food storage 😉
Personally, I like your Tried and True MUCH better! When I eat a chocolate chip cookie, I want a good ratio of cookie and chocolate- not just chocolate. I’ve never been a huge fan of the New York cookie. Just my opinion- personal preference. I love yours- crispy outside- soft inside. Thanks for all the tips.
I agree, I like the ratio of cookie to chocolate to be a bit more even than the NYT cookie. Thanks so much!
Thanks for this incredible breakdown! I’ve been so curious about it since everyone says theirs is the best and we all have our one go to CC. I’ll have to give it a whirl with my Guittard bars that I scored at Target!
Thanks for all the detailed tips before making. I made them today, and I only had Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips on hand, but I think they were awesome! A trick that I use is that all my chips are always kept in the freezer which helps the dough of any chocolate chip cookie, and then I did not refrigerate for 24-36 hours. I put them in the fridge for 15 minutes, scoop the first batch from the top, and then put back into the fridge. (I also have a metal bowl, that helps with coldness). I keep doing that for each batch. I didn’t cook as long, maybe because our altitude is different, but I only cooked for 12 minutes. I used 2 cups all purpose flour, and one cup bread flour. One mistake I made with the first batch is making them a little too big. I modified them after that, and they turned out great!
I’m glad you gave this recipe a try! I love the tip about refrigerating the chocolate chips. I’ve heard others talk about doing this, but I’ve never tried it. Great tip! If the cookies are not completely refrigerated, meaning for several hours before baking, the baking time is definetly less. I believe my bake time was closer to 12-15? minutes without refrigeration as well. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Emmalee, I’ve tried everything from no refrigeration to 48 hours (and more). If you are in a hurry and try the no refrigeration route, they will not take as long to bake. closer to 12-15 minutes. And they will spread more. Refrigeration changes the cookie, it will take the full 18 minutes to bake properly (without convection), and the texture will be different than if not refrigerated. Let me know how your cookies turn out and how long you refrigerate! xo
Thanks for all the detailed info. I can’t wait to try the NYT recipe. Have you tried making Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies? I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
I tried the Neiman Marcus cookies years ago. I don’t really remember much about them, but I do remember they were yummy! I’ll have to try them again soon. Thanks for the reminder!
I love your recipes and how much detail you write in them! I am always on the look out for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. I love the size of these cookies, the added salt on the top, and just the appearance of them but I would rather have less chocolate. Do you think that the look would differ if say half of the chocolate was used? Or would that just be the same as your tried and true chocolate cookies?
I replied to this earlier, but not sure why the reply didn’t show on the comment board. I think using 1/2 of the chocolate would drastically alter this recipe. This cookie is more chocolate than cookie, if you are looking for a recipe that has more cookie than chocolate, but still a good balance, try the Tried and True CC cookie recipe on A Bountiful Kitchen. You’ll love it! Thanks for reading 🙂
Well, I am converted. I do think this is the perfect chocolate chip cookie! (I also am a HUGE chocolate fan!) Thank you for your breakdown and chocolate recommendation. I followed the recipe exactly (at sea level) and it came out perfect with 13-14 minutes baking.