ultimate chocolate chip cookie

Do superlatives such as "best" and "ultimate" pique your curiosity?  Or do you roll your eyes?  What comes to my mind is one of two things: You're really cocky and are prone to exaggeration.  Or, you've got quite the item on hand and can't wait for everyone else to try it.

This chocolate chip cookie falls in the latter category. Fabulous, decadent, delicious. The texture is perfectly crispy on the outer edge, chewy as you move towards the middle, and then just a little soft in the center.

For a NY Times article, David Leite researched this cookie and adapted it from Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres' recipe. It differs from most other chocolate chip cookie recipes in a few ways. The dough calls for two different kinds of flours (cake and bread) and the dough needs to rest for a 36-hour period (which allows it to fully soak up the eggs and develop deeper flavor.)

The recipe also calls for chocolate disks, or fèves. I got Valrhona fèves at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's sells them as callets. If you can't find them, chocolate chips are fine.

 

The last little extra is Fleur de sel, which is lightly sprinkled on top. Fleur de sel, with irregularly shaped crystals, is a moist, mild tasting finishing salt. Don't use any sea salt, it really needs to be Fleur de sel.

(You can see that I forgot the salt on these! Still delish.)

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 c. minus 2 Tbsp. (8 1/2 oz.) cake flour

1 2/3 c. (8 1/2 oz.) bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/4 c. (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 c. + 2 Tbsp. (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
20 oz. bittersweet chocolate disks or feves, at least 60% cacao content
Fleur de sel (for sprinkling)
Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.


When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.


Scoop 6 3.5-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.


Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

n.b. I made them slightly smaller at 2.5-ounces and baked for about 16 minutes. They still are huge.

This post is linked to the following:  show and share, holiday haven, tatertots and jello, i'm lovin' it, frugal girls, show and tell, tasty tuesdays, tip me tuesday, home stories a to z, crazy sweet tuesday, wow me wednesday, sugar and dots, somewhat simple, something swanky, momnivores dilemma, Sundae Scoop, made by you mondays, this chick cooks, friday flair,  c.r.a.f.t., show me what you got, saturday 7 party, it's party time