THE Cookies

Okay...here is the Best Chocolate Chip cookie recipe I have ever tried to date (not that I will give up testing new ones!) This recipe comes from , "The New York Times". The recipe made it around the baking blogs for awhile and everyone raved about it. I held out baking it until now. I usually alter recipes quite a bunch when I bake, however this time I followed the recipe down to the exact. The result was a perfect, salty and sweet, chewy with crisp edges chocolate chip cookie. I would definitely make these again. I used a combination of semi-sweet chocolate chunks, Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips, and 60 percent cacao chips by Gheradelli. Do not skip the sea salt...it really enhances the chocolate. And YES, the custom blend of flours DOES make a difference! This is a "special occasion" chocolate chip cookie!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted from NYTimes.com

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 pound each Milk, Semi-sweet, and 60 % Chocolate chunks

Sea salt

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. ***I did not chill my dough***

Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.(If you want to scoop them while they are still soft, that's okay!) Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft in the middle, 9 to 11 minutes. **They will continue to bake after you take them out of the oven. If they look slightly shiny in the center of the cookie, but slightly brown on the edges, they are done. Be careful not to over bake them!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a favorite franchise bakery in Utah...it's called Kneaders. They have the best salads...and brownies, and even live up to my high standards in chocolate chip cookies...most visits....when not pregnant. I found this recipe on a Utah news cast and had to try it out. The cookies were called "Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies". From the pictures online the cookies looked less cakey and more chewy than the regular pumpkin cookies, so I thought I would give them a try. (Another gift I would make to bring to family this past weekend). Well, the cookies were very good...but alas they were as cakey as any home-made pumpkin cookies are. I am wondering if my change in the recipe had anything to do with the outcome (but I think not) You see the original recipe called for 1 and 1/2 CUPS BUTTER! In comparison to the amount of flour and eggs I thought this sounded like way to much...so I down-sized the butter by a half a cup and only added 1 Cup butter. All in all I think they were a good cookie, but not much different than the recipe I had already on hand.

Kneaders Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c butter (I used only 1 cup)

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

2 c flour

1 TB baking powder

1 TB Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

1 c chocolate chips

Combine all dry ingredients and set aside. Beat sugar, butter and eggs until fluffy. Add pumpkin and slowly add in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips last. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet in oven set at 400 degrees for 12-15 min.