Tag Archives: chocolate chip cookies

Cookies, Easy, staples, Uncategorized

Quintessential Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Quintessential chocolate chip cookies by twocarolines.com

What is more all American than classic chocolate chip cookies?  These are my Momma’s famous CCC’s – it’s an honor to share this family classic.  It’s possible they taste a lot like your Mom’s chocolate chip cookies, but to me, they taste like home, and a Mother’s love, and that time our dog Beamer jumped up on the kitchen counter and ate the cookies while they cooled (don’t worry, he was fine), and seriously so many great memories.  Just thinking about them brings joy to my heart.  They are always on point, so melty, amazing texture of chewyness with a tiny crunch on the end, to me, they are a simple cookie in it’s most perfect form.

1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1-2 tablespoons room temperature water
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup choppped walnuts (1 1/2 if you you’re doing nuts in all the cookies, but Mom always makes half “non-nutty” for the littles)

  1.  Prepare 2 cookie sheets with baking spray, parchment or a silpat (Mom uses the wrapper from the butter to grease the sheet) and preheat the oven 350.
  2. Chop up walnuts so there are some good sized bits, but not huge chunks, otherwise known as coarsely chopped.
  3. Cream butter with sugars, then add eggs and vanilla until totally combined.  Add water and mix well.  Next Add your flour salt and baking soda (you can sift them if you want, but they are fantastic either way).  Mix until just combined then fold in your chocolate chips, and if you’re making cookies sans nuts for people who are “not enlightened” as my Mom puts it, now is the time to drop your cookies in about 2 tablespoon plops with room to spread on to your prepared sheet and while the first batch is baking, add your nuts for the next.
  4. Bake about 8-9 minutes – bake time is not important, doneness is.  You want these cookies out of the oven when they are still shiny and doughy looking in the middle, but the edges are brown at the bottom and starting to set.  If you overbake them, just give them to a neighbor you don’t like because you’ve done a terrible thing to an otherwise perfect chocolate chip cookie!  They will bake a little longer as they cool on the cookie sheet and after 10 minutes or so, move them to a cooling rack.  I would tell you to let cool before serving but that’s just adorable non-sense.  Eat them as soon as they don’t burn your mouth!  They keep for a day or two in a well sealed container, but I often end up freezing what we don’t eat the first day or two and then you can defrost them for 20 seconds and re-live that fresh out of the oven feeling.
Cookies, Uncategorized

Coconut Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Coconut Macadamia Chocolate Chip Cookies by twocarolines.com

These incredible cookies were first discovered by our sister Kristin who became obsessed with them at the Nordstrom’s Cafe here in coastal Orange County – they are called the “Nordie” and they are such a sensational combination with crunchy, chewy, sweet, salty and chocolatey cookie perfection.  It took her a number of trials and errors before she found a recipe that not only tasted like the Nordstrom cookie, but was even better!  The original author of this recipe is vanilla and bean – check out her rad blog.  The “Nordie” is a large cookie and it’s baked longer than traditional chocolate chip cookies to make the coconut have a nice toasted flavor, but you can also bake them less time for more chew and less crunch if you prefer.  Another bonus with these cookies is how you can easily save the dough in the fridge or freezer and just scoop and bake what you want to eat or even bake them all and freeze completed cookies until you’re presented with a situation that only an insanely delicious cookie can solve.

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup all purpose flout
1 cup whole wheat white flour (they taste great with only AP flour if you don’t have any wheat)
1/4 cup almond meal (can substitute with wheat germ, wheat bran, or just normal flour)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped
3 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment or silpat
  2. Mix together the flours, almond meal, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.  Set aside.
  3. With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time until totally incorporated being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Then add the flour mixture in a few batches making sure to scrape the bowl.  Last add the coconut, nuts and chocolate chips mixing on low speed until ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
  5. To make the large cookies use a big 3-4 tablespoon scoop – only about 6 cookies per pan.  Bake about 17-20 minutes until nicely browned.  You can also make smaller cookies if you want and if you do bake them for less time, like check them around 9-10 minutes.  The original cookies are darker than an average cookie with a nice crunch to the outside, but they are also delicious baked just until the bottoms are brown if you prefer your cookie more chewy and less crunchy.  Pay more attention to doneness than bake times as times vary greatly depending on how large your cookies are.

 

Recipe adapted from vanilla and bean 

Cookies, Uncategorized

Levain Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat

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Recently I was asked by a friend for recommendations of what to eat in New York, and without hesitation, I told him Levain Bakery. Their cookies are the stuff of dreams and legends. I was so jealous and overwhelmed with an insatiable desire to consume these magical cookies, so I scoured the internet for recipes. I found a bunch of copycat recipes, but it seemed like the biggest difference between these and any other normal cookie recipe were due to the addition of corn starch, using cold butter, their size and refrigerating the dough. I found one that seemed to have most of these factors and used that for my testing. I think these turned out so good! They may not be exactly the same, but they are legit and definitely should be tried and tested by us all. Make sure to eat these fresh out of the oven, because that is when their warm and melty goodness will make your dreams come true!

  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon for mixing with chocolate chips and walnuts
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

 

In a large bowl, combine 3 ¼ cups flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, white and brown sugars. Mix until well combined and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. With the mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

In a small bowl, combine chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon flour, tossing to coat. Mix the chocolate chips into the cookie dough with your hands for even distribution.

TwoCarolines_LevainCookies2.JPGLine two baking sheets with baking paper or a Silpat. Divide cookie dough into 10 portions about 4 ounces each (I weighed each and every one. They seem insanely huge, but that’s the idea!). Shape cookies into rough mounds and refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cookies are light golden brown and just barely cooked in the middle (mine went the full 20 minutes).

Recipe slightly adapted from Citycookin.

Pro-tip: Freeze the dough for another 20 or so minutes after refrigerating for extra gooey on the insides cookies.

-CK 1.0

chocolate desserts, Cookies, Uncategorized

Jen’s Health Cookies

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Jen’s Health Cookies by twocarolines.com

My cute friend Jen shared this recipe years ago and it’s one of my favorite cookies ever.  My favorite delivery system for healthy flax seed, whole wheat and almond flour is with a little butter, sugar and chocolate chips.  Yes, we are using the term “healthy” loosely, but not the term “delicious” because they taste absolutely incredible.  I went sans nuts on this batch so I can throw a frozen cookie in my daughters lunch some days and not have her turn her nose up, but I like them even better with a half cup or so of pecans or walnuts.  You can either bake all of them and freeze what you don’t eat after a few days or put your dough in the fridge and bake small batches when you want fresh cookies!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (I love the way it tastes with coarse salt)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 tablespoon milk
1 cup chocolate chips (or nuts, raisins etc.)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and either parchment line, silpat or spray 2 cookie sheets.
  2. Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well.  Mix together all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix together then add to your butter/sugars mixture.  Last add the milk (you might need a tiny bit more than a tablespoon if it’s too thick) then the chocolate chips.  Make sure there are no dry spots and spoon on to a cookie sheet with enough room to spread out a bit.  Bake 7-9 minutes – I took mine out at about 8.  You want them barely brown on bottom and top but still a bit shiny in the middle – under baked is always better than over baked!
  3. Makes 36 cookies using a cookie standard scoop.  They freeze well just take out and defrost for a bit at room temperature or in the microwave.

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Cookies, Easy, Uncategorized

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies have a very unassuming name, but they are anything but ordinary.  The texture is always perfect, they rise up beautifully, stay soft and chewy and there’s a little salt that sets off the chocolate perfectly.  I like to make a smaller batch and even then I end up freezing what we don’t eat the first day because if I don’t what’s left finds it’s way to my mouth with a quickness.  Feel free to double if you’re baking for a crowd. The recipe was King Arthur Flour’s recipe of the year for 2015, and they have so many good ones, so starting this year with last years best seems only appropriate.

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg (room temp preferred)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon (coarse) kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

  1. Preheat oven to 325 and spray or line your pan with parchment or silpat
  2. Beat together butter, and sugars until smooth
  3. Add egg and vanilla beating well after each
  4. Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and add to the butter mixture.
  5. Mix until everything is thoroughly incorporated.  Scrape bottom and sides of bowl, and mix briefly.
  6. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between cookies.
  7. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until they are light golden brown at the bottom and edges but still look shiny in the middle.
  8. Remove from oven and once they are set enough to handle transfer to racks to cool.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies 2015