How to Make the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

James Tibang, Student Journalist|November 6, 2019

Chocolate chip cookies, one of the most iconic sweet snacks in the United States and around the world, right? The sweet, tender, buttery cookie combined with the luscious chocolate chunks make for a wondrous, comforting eating experience. But did you know this beloved dessert was created by accident? 

In the year 1930 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, dietitian and food lecturer Ruth Graves Wakefield intended to whip up a popular colonial recipe for her guests, Chocolate Butter Drop Do Cookies. They were basically butter cookies mixed with baker’s chocolate, and the chocolate would melt and spread throughout the dough. However, they were out of said baker’s chocolate and Wakefield resorted to using Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate, offered to her by Andrew Nestlé of the Nestlé Company. 

To Wakefield’s surprise, the semi-sweet chocolate did not spread through the cookie dough, but instead held their shape but turned all gooey and melty just like the modern chocolate chip cookie. Looks like another case of ‘necessity is the mother of invention,’ doesn’t it? Anyhow, all your worries and anxieties can easily be fixed with a bite of a warm chocolate chip cookie. 

Now, I am by no means asserting that I am an expert chef, but I have had my fair share of ups and downs in creating these delicious treats. However, through a lot of research and trial and error, I think I have created the best chocolate chips that I have ever made. The cookie is chewy, buttery, and pleasing; its flavors are complemented by the sweet, rich, and deep taste of the chocolate chunks. My friends and family, who I have mildly forced to eat these cookies, have greatly enjoyed them and found them delicious. This recipe is also very easy to make with no need for fancy tools and machinery, but only a good ol’ whisk and spatula. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup of granulated sugar 
  • ¾ cup of dark brown sugar
  • 1 stick (½ cup) of salted butter
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 1 ¾ cup of all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder 
  • ½ tsp of baking soda
  • ¼ tsp of salt
  • ⅛ tsp of cornstarch
  • 4-5 oz of bittersweet chocolate (style preferred)
  • 4 oz of milk chocolate (style preferred)

Instructions:

  1. First, microwave butter until it is completely melted. It might take 30 seconds to a minute. 
  2. Then, mix the sugars with the butter in a large mixing bowl with a whisk until mixture becomes a light brown color. 
  3. Add the eggs into the sugar-butter mixture along with the vanilla extract. Mix all these ingredients together until well-combined.
  4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and cornstarch until well-combined. Add these to the mixing bowl with the wet ingredients.
  5. Mix the wet with the dry ingredients with a spatula until it is half-way combined. It is okay if the flour is not fully incorporated. 
  6. Add both the bittersweet chocolate and milk chocolate to the mixing bowl. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients until it forms a dough. It should be mixed enough that it does not stick too much to the bowl. Make sure not to overmix it, as it will produce gluten and mess with the texture of the cookie.
  7. Cover the mixing bowl in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, whichever is preferred, and let it chill in the fridge for around 2 hours. 
  8. Preheat the oven to 360 °F and line two baking trays with parchment paper or wax paper.  
  9. While the oven is preheating, take the chilled dough out of the fridge and scoop it into balls, about 1-2 inches in diameter. 
  10. Finally, bake the cookies in the oven for about 15-16 minutes. To check if it is done, stick a toothpick down the center of the cookie, and if the toothpick comes out clean, then it is done baking.  
  11. Serve, and have fun!

Notes: 

I find that Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips combined with Nestlé Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels create a scrumptious chocolate flavor, and the addition of cocoa powder will elevate that flavor. Also, if you want more chocolate in the cookie, go right ahead! Moreover, cornstarch gives the cookies a chewier texture. Lastly, it is important not to overmix the dough because it will cause the cookies to become tough and not as chewy.

In closing, when you try this recipe, keep in mind these wise words someone once said: “If you can’t change the world with chocolate chip cookies, how can you change the world?”