Thursday, June 23, 2011

Ultimate Stand Mixer Chocolate Chip Cookies


Okay, I know I said before that I was only going to do 12 different CCC recipes. But, I saw this recipe on Anna's blog, Cookie Madness, and was intrigued by the fact that it specifically calls for the use of a stand mixer. And, wouldn't you know, I just happened to be at my parents' house and my mom has a stand mixer. The opportunity was just too good to pass up, especially since Anna raved about how good they were (I promise that these are the LAST ones).


So, there I was mixing up one more batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. There are many things that set this recipe apart from all others. One is that it calls for cold butter straight from the fridge. In addition, the butter is creamed first and then it's whipped with the sugars for several minutes, reaching a buttercream-like consistency. Finally, the egg and vanilla are mixed together and added in small spoonfuls to the batter over a 4-5 minute spread. This results in a very fluffy cookie dough unlike any other I've ever seen. You then chill the dough for at least 6 hours or overnight.

I never realized before this that chocolate chip cookie making could be such a science. I continue to be amazed at the fact that you can take the very same ingredients but alter the amounts or the techniques used in combining them and you get completely different results in terms of taste, texture, and color.


These cookies baked up perfectly thick and chewy with nicely crisp edges and a crunchy outer shell. They don't spread a lot in the oven, so you do have to flatten them down a little either before or during the baking time. The resulting cookies are a beautiful dark brown color and were oh so tasty. Since the butterscotch flavor is not overpowering, you can definitely eat several of these cookies at one time (and believe me, you're going to want to). I am so glad that I wasn't too cookie-d out to try one more recipe because this one is most certainly a keeper in my book. My whole family loved them!

I can see that picking a winner is going to be super hard. But, pick a winner I must. Stay tuned because next week Monday all will be revealed.

NYT Cookie Update: Jeanie, from The Tasty Cheapskate, did her own baking research on these cookies (go HERE to see how it turned out) and told me when the NYT cookies are made with all-purpose flour instead of the cake flour, they don't taste anywhere near as good as they should. That's definitely a lesson for me. I guess that I really will have to give these cookies a second chance and, when I do, you can bet that I'm using cake flour as directed.

Ultimate Stand Mixer Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from Cookie Madness)

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces (I used salted butter and omitted the salt)
1 c. very firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. chocolate chips (I used 2 cups
)

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Beat cold butter until creamy in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add both sugars and continue beating at medium speed for 4-5 min.

Meanwhile, mix the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl and slowly, one tablespoon at a time, add the egg mixture to the cream mixture while the mixer is in motion. This should take another 4-5 min.

With mixer on lowest speed, or by hand, add dry ingredients. When incorporated, add chocolate chips and stir to mix.

Shape dough into golf ball sized balls and arrange on a cookie sheet right next to each other. Cover dough balls and chill overnight or for 6 hours. Remove and let warm to room temperature (30 min.). Arrange cookie balls on ungreased cookie sheets spacing about 3 inches apart. Flatten a little to resemble a hockey puck, about 3/4" high. (I just chilled my cookie dough in a covered container, then formed the balls, flattened them a little, and baked them).

Bake at 400F (I baked mine at 375F), 8-10 min. (mine took 12 min.). Edges should be golden brown. Let sit at room temperature 5 min. before taking off baking pan.

Makes about 32 cookies

Notes:
  • I did a half batch of these cookies and so I added a tablespoon of the egg-vanilla mixture at 1-minute intervals. If you make the whole batch, you could probably add a tablespoon of the mixture at 30-second intervals.
  • Chilling for 6 hours is all that is necessary. I chilled some of my dough for 24 hours, then baked the cookies and there was no noticeable difference in flavor.
This recipe is linked to:
Cast Party Wednesday
Fat Camp Friday
Sweet Tooth Friday
Bake with Bizzy
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
My Meatless Monday
CCC Round-Up

25 comments:

  1. These look like they would be my favorites so far. I like a thicker cookie, chewy on the inside and a crunch on outside.
    Aimee

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  2. :) I was going to try out the King Arthur Flour CCCs first after your post on them, but now I think these cookies moved to the top of the list. These are my kind of cookies--thick, chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. From a blog reader's perspective, this quest of yours has been awesome!! I can't wait to see which cookie you choose as the best. :)

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  3. I found an interesting cookie recipe a few years ago that called for chilling, which I skipped. They were terrible. My mom made them the right way, and they were perfect.
    Coffee is much the same way...a macchiato tastes very different from a latte and they are basically the same thing. You just add the espresso first for a latte and last for a macchiato.
    I guess cookies are a perfect match for coffee after all! Yay, Cookies for breakfast! haha

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  4. These look so good. They are thick and look chewy. My kind of CCCookie!

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  5. Oh, I can't wait till Monday! What a fabulous project, Lisa!

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  6. Another CCC recipe I'd love to try. Can't believe we're at the end of the researching. Haha! Looking forward to your post on which is your favorite. I'm predicting a toss up between this recipe and the Ultimate Chewy and Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yummy!

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  7. Isn't food science fun? I usually whip my butter & sugar when making cookies, it helps them hold shape better in my altitude I've found. I'll have to give this version a try!

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  8. Those do look good. I'm constantly surprised at the differences in color in the cookies that, like you said, contain basically the same ingredients.

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  9. They sure look GOOD! You are now officially a chocolate chip cookie expert!

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  10. Can't wait for Monday! These look good too!

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  11. This recipe looks yummy. I am going to get my daughter working on this one this weekend!

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  12. Oh my goodness! These cookies look to die for. I must try these out.

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  13. I love chocolate chip cookies! If you're still looking for more recipes to try, THIS ONE is my absolute favorite. And by the way, I tried your Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. Delicious! I'll be posting it on my blog soon! Thanks for the recipe.

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  14. Haha! I forgot to add the link to that recipe: http://foodfunlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-favorite-chocolate-chunk-cookies.html

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  15. Those look like beautiful cookies! I wish I could reach right into my computer screen and grab one. I already have the milk next to me, hahaha, just missing the cookie :)

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  16. Finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie is research that I'd love to do! These sound like they're just the way that I like them- "thick and chewy with crisp edges and a crunchy shell." I've saved this and will be trying them for sure! :)

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  17. Wow! It looks so yummy! I just love cookies..will give it a try for sure. You got a stunning space here. Now, your newest follower and added a link here!
    Hope you will follow me back:)

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  18. Thick and delicious! These look like the perfect chocolate chip cookies to me. Yummy! Thanks for sharing on A Well-Seasoned Life's Sweet Indulgences Sunday.

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  19. Thanks for sharing your yummy recipe with us at Cast Party Wednesday. I hope you come back and visit us tomorrow.
    Thanks again.
    I hope to see you there!

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  20. Please give lots of credit to the late Richard Stevens of UNIX and TCP/IP fame for this recipe. It's where Anna's recipe started. http://www.kohala.com/start/recipes/ultimatecookie.html

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  21. wow Lisa thanks for the cool recipe love your chocolate chip cookies to the max <3 Home Kitchen Stand Mixer Reviews Exclusive Versatile Stand Mixer

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  22. Nice article. I would like to recommend you to visit RetailEscaper to get Desert Boxes Discount Codes

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