Apparently cookies can be very complicated. Do you use butter or shortening, do you soften or melt the butter, do you refrigerate the dough, how do you get a chewy cookie, how about a cakey cookie, what makes a cookie crisp and flat versus high and soft? Well, there is all kinds of science behind the baking of the perfect cookie (depending of course on how you like your cookies), and I did do some research, but its just too much to think about.

So I trusted the title of the “Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies” recipe from the tried and true Smitten Kitchen blog to get me the cookies I wanted and came out with some pretty scrumptious cookies! I did mess up a little though, I overworked the dough. See I’m big on salt in baked goods and decided after already mixing in the flour that I wanted to add a little more salt. I didn’t think about what mixing again might mean, but then checked and my gosh the internet has enough places that say to not overmix the dough! Supposedly ovemixed cookies come out flat and blah. Well, I don’t know, but these cookies weren’t flat at all, but probably because I refrigerated them. They weren’t really “chewy” though, a bit more “cakey”.

This is a double batch but with the same amount of chocolate chips as the original recipe. For the first batch of 12 cookies I refrigerated the dough for a few hours. They were easy to scoop out onto the cookie sheets and took about 16 minutes in the oven. I made the 2nd batch of 24 cookies the next day and the dough was harder to scoop out, much firmer. I baked both cookie sheets at once and the bottom sheet were puffier. I liked the first batch better so that is what is in the recipe below.

See there are just too many variables with cookies. And baking in general. I bet if I make these again, they will turn out totally different!

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks) melted cooled
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat the sugars and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
3. Using a mixing spoon, add in the flour mixture until just blended.
4. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate dough for a few hours (to give it more rise, or bake as is for flatter cookies).
6. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
7. Divide dough into about 36 cookies (I’m guessing about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoon makes a cookie), 12 per sheet, giving them enough space so they don’t run together.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes (repeat for rest of cookies). Let cool or eat them after a couple of minute when they are warm and gooey!