Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I feel quite often in life, simple pleasures are the most divine.  Chocolate chip cookies in my opinion embody such a statement perfectly.  Like so many of us, I have wonderful childhood memories of making chocolate chip cookies.  I can remember standing on a chair so I could "help" my Mom stir or pour ingredients into the bowl.  Thinking of those memories brings a smile to my face and makes me want to get in the kitchen and whip up a batch of cookies!

There's something so temptingly delicious about a well made (from scratch) chocolate chip cookie that's had me obsessed with finding the perfect recipe for years.  My mom sadly passed away a number of years ago and many of her recipes were committed to memory, leaving me to experiment trying to find the right fit.  What I'm looking for is a buttery, thin cookie that has a slight crunch on the edges and a chewy texture in the middle. I can honestly say that I've baked thousands of chocolate chip cookies over the years, this recipe is the closest I've come to my ideal cookie.

I find the ratio of butter to sugar and flour in this recipe results in the aforementioned thinness I prefer.  As well, the addition of toasted then crushed slivered almonds seems to intensify the chocolate flavour and adds a nice bit of crunch.  Sprinkling some Turbinado sugar on the top of each cookie before going in the oven adds a lovely caramel flavour and slight snap of crunch on the edges. I often use Turbinado sugar in baking for decoration or garnish because it doesn't tend to melt down as much as traditional granulated sugar does.  I've tried making these cookies without it and found the cookies came out softer, doughier and less chewy in the middle than I would like.  However, if you like a somewhat soft chocolate chip cookie, or can't find Turbinado sugar, feel free to leave it off.  I've found that most grocery stores now carry this type of sugar (sometimes labelled as "raw" sugar) but if it's not available where you live, you could use some regular white granulated sugar instead.

One thing I like to do is make the full recipe, but only bake up a quarter or half of the dough I've made. I then wrap the remaining dough in plastic cling film and store in the fridge for up to a one week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.  This way, I always have the wherewithal to whip up a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies should the need (or craving) arise.

Here's the recipe:

4.5 ounces (about 1/2 cup) of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup almond slivers toasted and roughly ground (I do this in a mortar and pestle)
1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips (I like a mixture of semi sweet and milk chocolate)
2 to 3 tablespoons of turbinado sugar (http://wholesomesweeteners.com/Products/product-detail/PId/5/Organic-Turbinado)

Preheat your oven to 350 F and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Sprinkle the almonds onto one of the prepared cookie sheets and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant (you can do this while you make the cookie dough).  Then grind up to a coarse meal in a mortar and pestle, set aside.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and using a spatula mix well until completely incorporated.  Then add in the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Mix in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and salt then followed by the almonds and chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of the dough on the cookie sheets and using your fingers or the palm of your hand, flatten the dough onto the sheet.  This will help the cookies bake up nice and thin with a slightly crispy edge and a chewy texture in the middle.  If you prefer a taller cookie with a doughy texture than skip this step and leave the dough in mounds.

Sprinkle each unbaked cookie with some turbinado sugar to add a slight crunch and caramelization. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until each cookie is golden brown.

Bon Appetit!