My Taste of Home: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

My favorite food is a really good chocolate chip cookie. Really, it's true. It's not because I have memories of making them from scratch with Mom (who NEVER ever bakes) or because my grandma has a great recipe that makes me sentimental. No, I am in love with chocolate chip cookies because they embody everything I love about food.
And, if you were unsure, I love food.
They're a textural adventure, chewy, crunchy, gooey, and crisp all in one bite. They're chocolatey and vanilla-y and caramelly and salty and sweet. They don't have frosting, they shouldn't ever have a glaze, and they just look so adorable and perfect.

I'm leaving for college in the morning, so I just had to make a double batch of these. 1/2 are hiding in the freezer for Mom and Dad to enjoy when both their kids leave in one swoop (I'm a twin) and the other 1/2 has been packed up in my purse. Yep, I have a purse full of cookies and I'm not ashamed.
They're a little taste of home.

I have been on a quest for the absolute best chocolate chip cookie ever. I might post my original recipe someday, but now that I've found this guy, I might not give you any of the others. I don't want you wasting your time on sub-par cookies.

These guys aren't your super quick mix, drop, bake at 350º for 15 minutes cookies. These are made in a large pot, there are 3 different oven temperatures involved, and they have to be baked for exactly 9 minutes. Yep, 9. Not 10, not 8, and if you leave then in for the standard "12 to 15 minutes" I might just cry.

Please, also use chocolate chips. I know that using good quality chopped chocolate is sort of the big thing to do now, but that's a chocolate chunk cookie and that's an entirely different animal. An animal I'm not too big on either, believe it or not. I do recommend a slightly bigger chip here, though. Ghirardelli 60% is perfect because the chocolate is free of waxyness, and the chips are fairly flat, so they melt very well.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

1 3/4 cups AP flour
1 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
14 Tbs unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 large egg, 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (yep, the 1/3 is right on the money for even chip distribution)

1) Preheat the oven to 400ºF and position 1 rack at the middle level and the other at the level 2nd from the top. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter turns a golden color and starts to smell nutty. Remove from the heat and immediately mix in both sugars. Mix until well combined and the mixture has cooled significantly. This should take about 2 to 4 minutes, and some of the sugar should have melted. If the sugar does not melt, return the pot to medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, and then re-cool the mixture. Beat in the vanilla, egg and yolk.
3) Add half of the flour, all of the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, stir until almost combined, then add the rest of the flour. Mix well.
4) Fold in the chocolate chips and form into about 20 cookies of 2 tbs dough. Space evenly on the two baking sheets. Put in the 400º oven, on the center rack, and bake for 2 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300ºF and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Heat the oven again to 425º and move the cookies to the higher rack for the last 2 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven at 9 minutes exactly.
Cool on the pan for 2-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or your mouth.
Enjoy!