posted by BZR 05-02-100 5:15 PM
Cook’s Illustrated Chocolate Chip Cookies
makes about 60 cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. baking soda
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/2 teasp. water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
This is our take on the classic tollhouse cookie, thin and crisp around the edges, thicker and a bit cakier in the middle. The dough can be baked on ungreased cookie sheets, but lining the sheets with parchment will make cleanup easier. When the cookies come out of the oven they are very soft. Let them cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack.
Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk flour, salt and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Either by hand or with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs, vanilla and water. Beat until combined about 40 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl.
Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined-15-20 seconds. Add chocolate chips and nuts and stir until combined.
Drop batter by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing the pieces of dough about 1 inch apart. Bake reversing position of cookie sheets halfway thru baking (from top to bottom and front to back) until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges are crisp, 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 1-2 minutes before transferring them to cookie cooling racks with wide spatula.