In The Kitchen With Ria

She was being so dainty taking the cookies off the tray.

To get ready for DJ's third birthday party, my sister Maria came over to help me in the kitchen. I am so excited that my sister has caught the baking and cooking bug. It gives us something to bond over other than beer or $4.99 chicken teriyaki from the mall. 



That's my sister, always the kidder.


Ria came over to help bake 18 dozen of various types of cookies. Her favorite of the night? Thick, chewy chocolate chip. Of the two dozen that were made, a few short of a dozen remained after that night. I have to say, they are my favorite cookie too. The recipe is my ideal chocolate chip cookie, which I found on one of my favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats. I have made these so many times, I don't even need to look at the recipe anymore. My favorite part of this cookie definitely has to be the perfect balance of dough and chocolate chips that result in a bit of chocolate in every bite. My picky grandmother, who doesn't eat anything, ate about half the tray yesterday. 

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions.  Preheat oven 325°.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.  With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined.  Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball.  Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves.  Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.  Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes).  Do not overbake.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Source: Annie's Eats, adapted from Blonde Ambition in the Kitchen, originally from Baking Illustrated