Chocolate chip cookie memories + a VIDEO TUTORIAL for beginners!

We all start somewhere, that very first point of memory which all our subsequent memories build upon. I remember when I first discovered baking, there were only two things I was adamant to make: cupcakes because they were oh-so-cute and endless in terms of flavour and creativity; and then there was the chocolate chip cookie.

Man was I happy when my first ever batch came out of the oven! They were golden and super crisp, even a little buttery. Yet now that I think about it, they lacked that distinct caramel taste I so love. At the time I didn’t even have a cookie texture preference and all I knew were basically crisp cookies.

I didn’t grow up in a “baking home” so when I was a kid, I had thought chocolate chip cookies only came from blue packages with the name Chips Ahoy flashing brightly on the surface. We would receive these packages regularly during Christmas and I would sometimes hide a couple of pieces in a lunchbox in my room just to make sure my brothers don’t gobble them all up! To my very innocent mind, these crunchy, slightly crumbly cookies were perfect. They were all I could ask for and all I would ever need.
Oh those were the days.

Now I’ve made 4 different cookies that employ 4 different techniques. I still have plans to make more versions until I find THE ONE, though right now I would say Alton Brown’s The Chewy takes the top spot. I’ve learned how a certain mix of brown and white sugar can drastically change the texture and look of your cookie, and that both refrigeration and baking time play roles in the outcome of the cookies as well. Nothing simple about it anymore eh? And yet I don’t mind!

If there’s one recipe I’m willing to bake again and again until I find my go-to recipe, it’s chocolate chip cookies. There’s just something about eating them that makes me feel like a kid, especially so when there’s a tall glass of milk involved!

Seeing all my previous choco chip cookie recipes, I kind of wonder why I’ve never actually tried a simple one; the sort I probably would have made if I were a kid discovering baking for the first time. I came across this fuss-free version that was rather popular online and decided to give it a go. It doesn’t require special machinery nor does it ask you to refrigerate the dough like a lot of the previous versions I’ve made (though you can if you want to or you’re planning to bake it later on). This yummy recipe requires just bowls, a whisk, and some muscle.

I also took this opportunity to finally shoot a decent a video tutorial. It’s more geared toward beginner bakers and those who are making their very first chocolate chip cookies. I hope you guys find it useful!

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Big & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

A super easy choco chip cookie recipe that's perfect for beginner bakers!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 ½ to 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F (165° C), setting racks in the middle and lower third of the oven. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
• 2. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until light and creamy. The mixture will look like thick caramel.
• 4. Using a wooden spin, fold in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• 5. Drop cookie dough in tablespoonful mounds unto the prepared cookie sheets. Set cookies about 2 inches apart to give room for spreading.
• 6. For chewy cookies, bake for about 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted and browned. Rotate the pans top to bottom, front to back halfway through to ensure even baking. Fresh out of the oven the cookies should still be soft to the touch. (For firmer cookies, bake longer, about 2 minutes more.) Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes until firm before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from All Recipes

• {Baking Illustrated’s} Thick & Chewy / Thin & Crispy
• NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
• {Alton Brown’s} The Chewy