Chocolate Chip Cookies (Tutorial)

 Are you thinking of something sweet at the moment? If you weren't, bet you are now. I mean why else would you be here? Probably to get your sugar fix. Just imagine.... a chewy, soft, chocolate filled confection. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
Chocolate Chip Cookies. What's not to like? They are the simplest of cookies. They are the base of all sweets, the basic cookie. There are so many variations, yet so little time to experiment with them. And in reality, even if you only use one recipe there are many different outcomes. Say what? Yes, it all comes down to how you make them which will decide if they are your perfect chocolate chip cookie.
I depends on the way you prepare your butter, how much you beat your eggs, and even what happens in the oven. Wow. Who knew the "basic" cookie would be so complicated! I'm even going to use a bigger sized font to explain this, so you know you are getting into the informative stuff.

Butter:

You all know it's a key ingredient in cookies. But, I'm guessing you didn't know it was that important, right? How you prepare it will make a huge difference in the softness and appearance of your cookie.
Soften the butter so that it's almost melting. This will make your cookies thick but not rock hard. If you melt the butter too much, they will flatten out extensively in the oven and become a crispy puddle. Oh and another thing. Use salted butter! There is nothing worse than a sickeningly sweet cookie. Sure, you can add salt later but it definitely won't be the same taste wise. Also, make sure you add salt even if you are using salted butter, but cut the measurement in half.

Eggs:

These are another vital ingredient in cookies. What you don't know is that these are what can make or break (egg pun) your cookies. Just barely beat the egg. Beating the egg for too long makes your cookies hard, I don't know about you but I don't like cookies that are going to break my teeth thank you very much. If you want more crispy cookies, you can bake them for an extra minute or even melt your butter more.

Oven:

Ah, yes, here come the infamous oven tips. Just in case you want to be even more informed, here they are. Switch the trays half way. This provides even baking throughout your cookies. Simple as that. Adjust the oven racks. I have noticed when switching the cookies, the top ones (after switching) are more brown, even though both of the trays had the same amount of time on each rack. Strange, right? That's because the ones on the top are exposed to the coils when they are setting and finishing baking. Which means they have more time to brown, rather than the ones that were put on the top rack first which only baked faster and didn't receive that "browning" effect.

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

2 1/4 cups                          a.p flour
1 tsp                                   baking soda
1/2 tsp                                 salt
1 cup                                  butter
1/2 cup                               sugar
1 cup                                  brown sugar
1 tsp                                   vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup                                  chocolate, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time barely mixing in between each. Beat in flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and stir. Use a cookie scoop and place on your baking sheets. About one tablespoon of batter will take 10 minutes to bake. Allowing the cookies to rest on the sheet will make them chewier, resting them on wire racks will make them crispier, you decide. Enjoy!

I hope these will satisfy your sweet craving. And hey, you learned a thing or two about making cookies! Now I hope you take these methods and apply them to how you want your cookies to turn out. Happy cookie making!

Elanne Boake