I have been on the search for the BEST chewy chocolate chip cookie. I have tried so many recipes and worked with the techniques I have always know for cookies. It wasn’t until I flipped what I knew on it’s head that I found the BEST chewy chocolate chip cookies.
I wanted to find that amazing cookie recipe that we go to time and time again. That recipe that as my kids grow up they say and feel, “My mom makes the best chocolate chip cookies!” They have to know the recipe to teach to their kids and it makes them feel the feels. You know, that recipe that is from your childhood that cannot be messed with. The recipe that makes you feel your childhood. I wanted to create that with chocolate chip cookies,(and many other dishes), but for sure with chocolate chip cookies. Well, I have done it. This is now and will be our go to recipes for chocolate chip cookies.
To melt the butter or use softened?
This is one of the game changers here for the chewiest cookies. I always used softened butter and creamed it with the sugar and then added the eggs. I would get really soft cookies and if baked correctly, I could even get the crisp edge. Yet, I was missing that chew.
If you want the chewiness with the softness and the crisp edge… Melt the butter. Game changer!
You mix the melted butter with the sugar and the eggs and you get this sticky, caramel-like mixture that gives you an end result of a chewy, soft and crispy edged cookie. Perfection!
Milk powder… Who knew, right?
So, I have followed Chef Christina Tosi and her career for some time. I think she is an incredible pastry chef and her dessert shops, Milk bars, are insanely amazing. The products they turn out are incredible. I have made a few of her recipes and they always call for milk powder. Never did I think too much about it. I just added it in and loved the cookies, but thought it was the whole recipe. Then I decided to take a closer look. I wondered why milk powder? What does it do to the cookie and can you use it in any baked good recipe.
So, here are the answers I found. Milk powder adds an amazing baseline to your cookies. You can add it to almost any sweet treat. It gives it a silky, sweetness that you cannot get otherwise. When you heat milk powder the sugars it contains become caramelized which adds a whole other level to your treat. In this case it helps with the crispy edge, the overall flavor and the wow factor of the cookie.
Milk powder is also amazing added to ice cream and other sweet treats. You can begin experimenting by adding in a tablespoon at a time to your baked goods.
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Chef’s Tips
I basically not only found the two things here that will make the BEST chewy chocolate chip cookies. Actually, I also found out something very important.
I was always so nervous to experiment with baking recipes. Even being a chef, maybe I should say especially being a chef. I was always nervous that if I messed with something or changed it, it would’t work. You know you always learn so much about how baking is a science. It is a science and somethings cannot be changed or messed with. However, I found that within those parameters, there is some wiggle room.
In this recipe for example, I found that by using melted butter instead of creaming the softened butter and adding in just 1 tablespoon of milk powder; I got an entirely new cookie texture and end product. So, my tip for you today is that you should not be afraid to play with recipes. Never be afraid to play with a savory recipe, for sure. Now, I can even say, don’t be afraid to play with a baking recipe. The worst thing that can happen is that it doesn’t work. You toss it out and try again. Yet, the best thing can be that you find the BEST new whatever you are trying to make!
The BEST Chewy Chocolate Chips Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips or you can use chocolate chunks
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, kosher salt and butter until a smooth paste forms with no lumps.
- Whisk in the egg and vanilla, beating until light ribbons fall off the whisk and remain for a short while before falling back into the mixture. This will look like a granulated caramel.
- In a separate bowl, sift in the flour, baking soda and milk powder. Then fold the mixture with a spatula (Carefully not to over mix).
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks, then cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For a more intense toffee-like flavor and deeper color, chill the dough overnight. The longer the dough rests, the more complex its flavor will be. You can also scoop the cookies at this point and freeze to bake as needed or later.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Scoop the dough with an ice-cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches of space between cookies and 2 inches of space from the edges of the pan so that the cookies can spread evenly.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have started to barely brown. If your oven bakes hotter, check at the 12 minute mark. Cool the cookies and Enjoy!
