McShane’s Epic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My entire life I’ve been making Chocolate Chip Cookies. Over time, I’ve made small adjustments here and there. Over the period of 24 hours, I actually turned my kitchen into a small cooking laboratory. Using my friend Brijesh’s pallet as judge, the “Greatest” cookie recipe was discovered.

First – some tips I’ve found:

• Use the best chocolate chips possible. I love Ghirardelli.
• Bust up the chips a little. Some research shows “disks” as opposed to chips
  actually offer a better “cookie experience.”
• Use high quality flour. Bread flower or even pastry flour.

1 cup high quality butter (Challenge is my favorite) – Room Temp. 

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 pound Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips (bust them up). Milk or Semi-sweet.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. I picked mats up Bed, Bath and Beyond. They make a difference.

Start by mixing the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Next you will fold a well mixed combination of the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. The final step is the addition of the chocolate chips.

A key step is refrigeration of the dough. At least three hours. Believe me, this will help result in a well shaped cookie.

You will want to scoop the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets using a tablespoon. I recommend baking long enough to give you a light brown cookie that is still soft. Usually around 12 minutes. If your oven has a “convection” feature, use it.

Enjoy!