Chocolate Chip Cookie Review

I got this idea in my head to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Or at least perfect to my taste.  So I decided to embark on an ongoing experiment baking a different batch of well-rated chocolate chip cookies once a week until I find my favorite recipe. Who knows?   Maybe I will like a different element of each recipe and create my own perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Bear with me, because this may take weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe #1
Tyler Florence's My Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookie courtesy of Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) block dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside (I didn't sift since I don't own a sifter).

Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the chocolate chunks using the spatula.

To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan (I got 3). Press down the tops of the dough slightly (I didn't do this step at all, and it was fine) and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.

The result:

The review:  This cookie came out pretty well, and looked like something you would buy at a bakery.  I used an 8 ounce package of bite sized dark chocolate pieces from Trader Joe's.  As much as I love the idea of chopped up dark chocolate in lieu of chocolate chips, these things were an annoyance to chop, and my hand hurt after a while.  However, the taste was great. I love dark chocolate chunks in a cookie, and it was nice and fluffy.  I definitely recommend baking cookies on parchment or wax paper, as it makes it very easy to lift off the tray without breaking or sticking.  What I didn't like about this cookie was the bottom was a bit too dark, and the inside could have been cooked a minute longer.  Also, I think I like chewier cookies as opposed to something with more flour in it.  I will definitely pay attention to see if a recipe with more brown sugar and less flour will be more to my liking.  I also don't think anyone needs a cookie this big unless it for sale.  After one cookie, I'm pretty much unable to eat dinner.