October 1 is National Homemade Cookie Day, and we look to our Homemaking Goddess Martha Stewart for guidance! Armed with ingredients from Fairway Market, and baking accessories from HomeSense and Dollarama, we’re ready to celebrate this fabulous day (and totally impress our family!) with Martha’s Crisp and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (but still cool to the touch—a finger pressed in should leave a dent but not sink in deeply)
- 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate (61 to 66 percent), coarsely chopped (1 1/4 cups), plus more large, flat pieces for tops (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter with both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on medium-high speed until light and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Stop beating and add flour, then beat on low to combine. Add both chocolates and beat to combine. (If you are working in a warm room and/or dough feels sticky or soft, refrigerate about 15 minutes before scooping and baking.)
- Using a 2-ounce (1/4-cup) scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (6 cookies per sheet); press each down to flatten slightly.
- Top each cookie with a few large, flat pieces of chopped chocolate (if desired).
- Bake one sheet of cookies 9 minutes; remove from oven and bang sheet on stove top or counter to deflate. Return to oven and bake 3 minutes; remove and bang again, then return to oven and bake until golden around edges and just barely set in centers, about 3 minutes more.
- Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a rack with a spatula; let cool completely. Repeat with remaining sheets, one at a time. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or frozen up to 2 months.
Martha’s Notes
You’ll often see instructions to “age” cookie dough in the refrigerator before baking (for an hour, or overnight). The main advantage is a more uniform golden color and a slightly more gooey texture. But this is not necessary—for more instant gratification, go ahead and bake right away!
To enjoy a warm, fresh cookie any night of the week, get the balls rolling in advance. Place them on a cookie sheet, freeze them on the pan, and transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the usual time.
Recipe courtesy of marthastewart.com