Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookies

On Thursday night, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies for our students' last day on Friday. I had planned to make Ina Garten's chocolate chunk cookies, but had the most miserable experience trying to find the recipe. If anyone has it, can you please link me??? I settled with Alton Brown's recipe because...well, he's Alton Brown. If you've ever seen Good Eats, you know he's just brilliant on all things food. These cookies were no exception, and Alton claims his technique for changing the cooking temperature during baking is imperative to make the best cookies possible. They were quite yummy. The recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, but I found that just a bit much, so I used about 1.25 sticks. The cookies, consequently, were a little dry and more scone-like in consistency, but they were delicious none-the-less. These cookies were a great way to kick off the end of my summer job and the beginning of three weeks of minimal responsibility.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for More Food Cookbook
makes about 24 cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees*.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the melted and cooled butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, pour in the butter mixture and fold the ingredients together just until combined. Add the chocolate chips and fold to combine. Do not overmix.

For individual cookies, use a spoon or a disher and dish out your cookies, 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. *

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined counter top.
*As soon as you put the cookies or cookie cake into the oven, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Alton Brown swears by this initial temperature boost.