Geoff's Perfect Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m not one to call any recipe “perfect" (unless it has a dramatic sound to it). Calling any recipe perfect has more to do with an individual’s tastes and preferences, but this double chocolate chip cookie is really good.
My friend Geoff, a novice home cook who loves to make desserts and now has a reputation among dads for making incredible cakes, brownies, and cookies, took “The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie” and made it better.
What Is It About a Chocolate Chip Cookie?
Indulgent, nostalgic, and universally loved, the perfect chocolate chip cookie is a delightful blend of simplicity and decadence. Picture the sound of the crisp edges breaking, the aroma of the warm, freshly baked dough, and the taste of the gooey chocolate melting in your mouth. This classic treat is a testament to the art of baking.
Crafting the ideal chocolate chip cookie is a meticulous process that requires precision and skill. Quality ingredients like flour, butter, sugar, and eggs are harmonized to form a dough that promises texture and flavor. The secret lies not just in the ingredients but in their precise proportions and the delicate technique combined—a balance that transforms a mere cookie into a culinary masterpiece.
While the recipe may vary slightly, the essence remains constant: a generous amount of rich, dark chocolate chunks or chips carefully folded into the dough. When baked to golden perfection, these morsels yield a cookie that is as visually enticing as it is heavenly in taste.
Whether enjoyed warm from the oven with a glass of cold milk or savored as a midday treat, the perfect chocolate chip cookie transcends generations and cultures, evoking childhood memories and creating new moments of joy with every batch.
History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie
The chocolate chip cookie, an iconic American treat, has a humble yet fascinating history. It owes its existence to the culinary innovation of Ruth Wakefield, who, in the 1930s, ran the Toll House Inn with her husband in Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth, an accomplished cook, was not afraid to experiment with recipes, and her boldness led to the creation of a cookie that would change the world of baking forever.
Legend has it that in 1937, Ruth created a new kind of cookie by adding chopped-up bits of a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar into a cookie dough. She expected the chocolate to melt and spread throughout the cookie, but instead, the pieces retained their shape, resulting in the first chocolate chip cookie.
These cookies became an instant hit among her guests and soon gained widespread popularity. In 1939, Nestlé and Ruth Wakefield struck a deal: Nestlé would print her recipe on their chocolate bars, and in return, she would receive a lifetime supply of chocolate. This partnership led to the rise of Nestlé's Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies, which remain a classic today.
The chocolate chip cookie's appeal is timeless; its simple yet irresistible combination of buttery dough and pockets of sweet, melty chocolate continues to bring comfort and joy to millions of cookie lovers worldwide. Over the decades, variations have emerged, from soft and chewy to crispy and thin, but the essence of Ruth Wakefield’s original creation remains a sweet thread that connects us all in our love for this classic treat.
📖 Recipe
The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F.
- Combine the flour and baking soda, set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add vanilla and both sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in the egg.
- At low speed, beat in cocoa, then milk. With a wooden spoon, mix in dry ingredients just until blended. If using the nuts, stir them in with all the chocolate chips.
- Using a teaspoon, measure out rounded teaspoons for each cookie and place them onto a nonstick or foil-lined baking sheet. If you have more than one baking sheet and room in your oven, use them too.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for about 12 to 13 minutes. When done, remove and cool slightly before removing them from the baking sheets.
- This recipe should make about 3 dozen “perfect” chocolate chip cookies.
Notes
Some of My Favorite Dessert Recipes
Dionne Pearman
This is the best double chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! I live in Bermuda and I entered this recipe in our annual Agricultural Exhibtion and won 1st prize in the cookie division!
The Reluctant Gourmet
Way to go Dionne! Thanks for letting me know. Please send a photo or clipping of your prize and I'll post it up here with the recipe.
Elise Loves Potatoes
these cookies Look yummy! and I like nuts in my cookies too....(not always, but sometimes I do) (like with chocolate chip cookies....) also: kind of looks like the double chocolate chip cookies, they used to sell in down town Iowa City, Iowa, in my own State of Iowa, at the mall down town....I Don't Know If That Cookie Place Is Still There Or Not....
Laura A Baker
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was in the 1988 issue of "Best Recipes", (out of print), and now, after reading your review, am anxious to try it. Never thought it would be found on the Internet, so many, many thank you's!