Pretty Decent Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
So I realize there’s about a million chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. About half of which claim to be 'The World’s Best!' But that’s still not going to hold me back from sharing my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I ain't gonna lie, my recipe is excellent. There’s that and it only involves one mixing bowl,  which is nice for the lazy baker; it contains four types of sweet-stuff (aka: sugar or sugar-like-substance), which is nice for the multifaceted baker; and it's really, truly, better than the majority of those others claiming to be 'The World’s Best!'

Believe me, I’ve investigated.

 

In my book, every American parent (notice how I didn’t say mother?) should be able to bake a decent chocolate chip cookie. Norwegians don’t really do cookies outside of the Christmas season (although they do go all out with their butter and sugar at Christmas). The truth is, most Norwegians have no idea how to make a chocolate chip cookie, which kind of makes sense since it’s impossible to buy chocolate chips at the grocery store and kids snack on buns, not cookies, as a special treat- tell that to my kindergarten niece who sits down at the lunch table and eats her cookie and only her cookie on a Monday through Friday basis. It must be an American thing. I’m sure Brits and the French and probably the Germans too eat their fare share of cookies, but they can’t possibly do it on an American level. We Americans like to do everything on a bigger and grander and more in-your-face scale, cookie baking and eating are no exception.

It was actually a British mother living in France that got me thinking about posting this here recipe in the first place. And it’s a good thing too. Otherwise, I’d be the lone American food blogger without a recipe for chocolate chip cookies on her site. And we wouldn’t want that...

 

Just a quick note: what sets these cookies apart is the addition of corn syrup and vinegar. Weird, I know, but just go with me here. I'm not sure how the good people at King Arthur’s came up with the idea, but they say to put light corn syrup and a little apple cider vinegar in the cookies. What amounts is a very desirable bumpy, chewy cookie center and crisp cookie edge- the best of both worlds, as far as chocolate chip cookies go. I like baking off a dozen and then forming the rest, flash freezing them, and then packing them down in a Ziplock bag for future spur of the moment baking (it’s pretty nice to be able to bake just a few cookies at a time when the mood hits). One more thing- keep an eye on these guys and don’t over bake them!

 

 

Pretty Decent Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ganske Gode Kjekks med Sjokoladebiter

*Adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion

(Makes about 3 dozen, 4”cookies)

 

 

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/170 g) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (115 g) dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (although I believe plain old white vinegar would be fine too)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/4 cups (315 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (250 g) semisweet chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, corn syrup and vinegar, then beat in the egg.
3. Beat in the vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda, then stir in the flour and chocolate chips/chunks.
4.  Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes, until they’re just set, the centers may still look a bit undone. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Comments

[Rachel Larson]

Did you deliberately wait to make these after we had left?

[maya]

Siri, I love the way you write...i was gripped by this story as if it were the latest holywood scandle ! :p

I love how thin these cookies are, & was wishing so much i had a recipe that was a sure thing...

thanks so much for sharing, honestly !

[andrea]

Yay! Thank you, thank you :) and for the mention too! I will have to try and order corn syrup from somewhere though. This is the frustrating factor when following a non-French recipe - they never stock the ingredients in the supermarkets. I'm on a mission!

[Jon]

So where were you able to find chocolate chips in Norway? I lack self control when baking and eating cookies (I know there's a 12 step program out there)and fall off the wagon. But sometimes I NEED to indulge myself. Time to fire up the oven. Chez Jude (under former management) used to have a cookie with cardamom that would take me back to my father's Christmas cookies. I would start to shake if I needed one.

[siri]

Rachie Poo- Yes, of course I did. Can't have these puppies laying around with a diabetic in the house!

Maya- Oh, you're too kind! Wouldn't that be funny if there were a Hollywood scandal that involved chocolate chip cookies?!

Andre- You're quite welcome. That's always the tricky part, isn't it? It's the simplest of ingredients that become the hardest to find in a new country. The only other thing I use corn syrup for is pecan pie, so it's not really the most used ingredient in the cupboard...

Jon- I didn't. I use a bar of chocolate and chop it up into bits. But that isn't to say that I'm not planning on bringing some different types back from the states in my suitcase next trip home. I wonder what kind of cookie Chez Jude made. Has the food changed a lot under new management? I think the only time I ate there was about 6 years ago- and it was AMAZING! Wouldn't a chocolate chip cookie with just a hint of cardamom be good?

[Eddie Storms]

No matter how big the competition is, it's still better to give it your best shot than not trying at all, right? Your chocolate chip cookie may not be the best but still, it's good to see that you still shared this with us. It's been a while since I made one, and what better way to start it with a new recipe. Thanks for sharing.

[Caterina B]

Siri, you mention vinegar in the method for mixing but it is not on the ingredient list!
I looked up comparable cookies on the King Arthur website and found one chocolate chip cooky recipe with vinegar. So...I added 1 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar to your recipe. I think it must interact with the baking powder to make the cookies rise. These cookies had a different flavor and texture from the usual ones we are used to seeing, ie "Toll House" cookies. I like the idea of using cardamon in them, too. I love the flavor and scent of cardamom.

[siri]

Caterina- Thanks! Maybe I should get you to do my proof-reading before I publish any recipes ;) A teaspoon of vinegar, was indeed correct- I did a little melding of 2 King Arthur's recipes and think the vinegar gives the baking powder a little extra oomph- helping to keep the cookies chewy even though they are relatively flat. I've edited the recipe above. A lot of cake recipes include vinegar, so maybe this is the idea behind it? And I agree with you about cardamom- perhaps my favorite spice of all!