My Quest to Create the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

I'll admit it. I'm competitive. Really competitive. About almost everything. Especially baking. In fact, I actually participate in sanctioned baking competitions.

Yes, it's true. I like to be the best and when it comes to cooking, that's undoubtedly true. And I thought my chocolate chip cookies were pretty darn good. But, the man in my life doesn't list my recipe as his absolute favorite. That needs to change.

Unfortunately, he and I share differing opinions about what makes a great chocolate chip cookie. He likes them soft. I like them crispy. There's got to be a middle ground.

So, I'm on a quest to find the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe that meets both of our cookie criteria. One that's dually crispy and chewy, soft, and browned. It might be difficult, but I think if I succeed, I just may produce a chocolate chip cookie that's as good as my famed, award winning, secret recipe brownies.

My first attempt was using this recipe from the blog, SugaryWinzy. I made half the batch without nuts, and the other half with nuts.

I made a few minor adjustments. Instead of dark brown sugar, I used light brown sugar, since that's what I had in my pantry. I also used almond milk instead of dairy milk.

Here are the results, batch by batch.

Batch 1
For the first batch, I baked the cookies at 300 degrees for 22 minutes. The directions indicated that they only needed to bake for 18-20 minutes, but they didn't seem quite done. So, I left them in a few minutes longer. Wrong move. They ended up crispy. Which, although tasty to me, was not the goal. Also, with the cookie balls the size I made them, they spread too much and ended up misshapen and unevenly cooked. Not perfect!

Batch 2
For the second batch, I decreased both the size of the cookies and the baking time. I baked them for a total of 18 minutes, cooling them on the cookie sheet for five minutes before placing on the cooling rack.

They turned out pretty well! Softer and chewier, but still crisp. With the size adjustment, they cooked evenly and didn't spread like crazy.

Batch 3
For my third batch, I added 1/2 cup of finely chopped walnuts to the batter and again used the smaller dough ball size. I baked them for about 16 minutes. The resulting soft/chewy/crisp edge texture was more along the lines of what I was looking for and the walnuts really added to the cookie. Getting closer!

Now, here are my notes for this recipe:

• The salt content was just right. 1 tsp of salt sounds like a lot, but it provides the perfect salty contrast.
• Overall these were a tad on the sweet side for me. Next time, I would decrease the sugar slightly, perhaps 1/4 c white sugar and 3/4 cups of brown sugar.
• I think I prefer my cookies smaller than most people do. May have to consider this in making future recipes and adjust cooking times accordingly.
• I think these cookies could use a little more vanilla extract. Maybe 1 1/2 tsp instead of 1.
• 2 1/2 c chocolate chips made them really heavy on the chocolate flavor. I would scale this back to 1 3/4 cups next time.