It was passed down from my old friend and coworker's aunt.
Chocolate chip cookie recipes are everywhere, but truly great ones are rare finds. While most people get their treasured recipe from a cookbook or a loved one, mine came from an unexpected place: the front of my refrigerator.
The recipe isn't even mine, actually. I had seen the handwritten recipe taped there for months. One day, I asked my roommate, Ted, "Hey, whose recipe is this?" That's when I learned it was a family recipe passed down from an old friend and coworker who used to live in my apartment.
"I think it's his aunt's recipe," Ted says, adding that he's made the recipe and it is delicious. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued, so I got in contact with Natalie Affleck, the creator of the cookies, to learn more.
Meet the Recipe Creator
Natalie Affleck started baking when she was just 11 years old. By her 20s, she had perfected this chocolate chip cookie recipe—a sweet treat that's now a family favorite and guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Her inspiration comes from Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies, which she used to get fresh from a bakery. "Her cookies had what I felt was the perfect consistency," says Affleck. "When they come out of the oven, they're not too flat, they're not too puffy, they're not cakey, they're just chewy, and the chocolate melts everywhere."
In her search for the best texture and flavor, Affleck started with the classic Mrs. Fields formula, then made it her own. Her recipe version uses both semisweet and milk chocolate chips for perfectly balanced sweetness, and she pays close attention to the brown sugar and vanilla extract she adds.
What Makes This Cookie Recipe So Good?
Two ingredients make this cookie something special: brown sugar and double-fold vanilla extract.
If there's one quality that makes the difference, it's the double-fold vanilla extract, which contains twice as many vanilla beans as the common single-fold. Affleck's preferred variety is Cook's Pure Double-Fold Vanilla Extract. She says it makes the final product richer and sweeter than artificial or single-fold vanilla extract.
"What actually makes it really good, even if you didn't have the [double-fold] vanilla, is the extra brown sugar," says Affleck. Brown sugar makes cookies more moist and chewy than white sugar, and they will turn out a little taller, too. Affleck's recipe includes both types of sugar, but more brown than white.
How To Make Natalie's Cookies
The steps follow the same path as many cookie recipes. Cream the sugar and butter, then follow with the eggs, vanilla extract, dry ingredients, and chocolate chips. Creamed butter results in a lighter and firmer cookie than melted butter does when mixed with sugar. As for the type of butter, Affleck uses organic, salted varieties in her cookies, but unsalted works well, too, if you want to control how much sodium goes in your cookies.
After adding the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and butter, the mixture will look and feel quite runny. Just whisk or stir the mixture with a whisk or spatula until it becomes light and fluffy again, then add the flour and chocolate. The dough will feel pillowy and soft at this point, which is what you want.
If you don't own a stand mixer, there are a few techniques to cream butter and sugar by hand. A spatula is a great way to start; fold and mash the sugar and butter over itself. Once all the butter is incorporated and the mixture is fluffier, switch to a whisk and beat the ingredients.
Letting the cookie dough chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour helps produce a much better cookie, says Affleck. You can let the cookie dough chill for longer, though. Store overnight to allow the flavors to meld even more.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat softened butter and sugar together in a large bowl until soft and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until soft, fluffy texture returns.
- Beat in flour, baking soda, and salt until fully incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Roll dough into small balls; place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on the baking sheet, about 5 minutes.
Cook's Note
There’s a bit of a debate in the Affleck family: softened butter or browned butter? Most prefer the classic version made with softened butter, but swapping in browned butter results in a richer, denser cookie. Just be sure to let the browned butter cool before mixing it with the sugar and eggs, or you’ll risk scrambling them.
Read the original article on Allrecipes
