RECIPE: Chocolate Chip Cookie

So,  I went browsing Pinterest looking for a chocolate chip cookie recipe that turned out soft cookies, not crisp cookies.  I have used lots of recipes but they always have a crisp cookie.  So, I found this one. I almost went by it just due to the ingredient list.  But then I found some work arounds that did not require a run to the store and decided to give it a whirl.  The original recipe can be found here --> Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So let's get started with this massive ingredient list.

Ingredients: 
 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 
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter 
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar 
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar 
2 large eggs, room temperature 
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips (original recipe calls for chopped dark chocolate)

OK, seriously don't freak out, let's talk about flour.  I started with Google to find out decent ways to substitute bread flour.  I found a website called The Balance and found a quick easy substitute, and a little education about, for bread flour.   That same website had a quick and easy substitute for cake flour as well. So, now that we have a better grasp on our ingredients let's get cooking!

Directions:
Step 1: 

 Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.  I don't have a sifter so it was just a mix really well and set aside.

Step 2:

 Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes.  Reduce speed and add eggs and vanilla.  Again, I don't have a good mixer with a paddle attachment so I just did what I do best, go with what I got and make it work.  With me so far?

Step 3:

 

Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours.  DO NOT SKIP THIS REFRIGERATION.  OK, so as I was adding the dry ingredients back in I noticed that it was very crumbly.  Almost as though there was too much dry to the wet.  I wonder, in hindsight, if this was due to my doing measurements instead of weights.  Or the use of an incorrect mixer.  And then of course part way through the mixing my mixer decided to become antisocial and didn't want to blend it anymore.  Mixing by hand was not exactly how I wanted to spend my evening.  And to top it off I couldn't even have fresh warm cookies to ease my sore muscles!

The Next Day:

 When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.  OK, again I digress here.  First as you can tell I prefer to bake on parchment, makes clean up SO much easier.  But also, I'm not a fan of hte spoon method.  My cookies are never even and well yeah.  I actually am a little bit crazier and use a melon baller to scoop my cookies.  I prefer the smaller, bite size cookies as opposed to the larger cookies from a spoon drop or even a cookie dipper.  I baked at just 10 minutes and the cookies were perfectly done and lo and behold, the ultimate goal...the were still soft after they cooled.

You can bake them all at once and enjoy cookies for days.  Or do what I did and enjoy cookies, and cookie dough, for days.  I made a couple of sheet pans and put the rest of the dough back into the refrigerator.  I don't recommend doing this forever but over about 3 days I used up all the dough and it was still amazingly delicious.