Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Redefined. Remade. 

Feel free to Recreate.

(And she wonders why her thighs just won't shrink...)

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter (to room temp)
• 2 cups bread flour (add ¼ more if you like cak-i-er cookies)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar (prefer raw--just because)
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk (preferably raw whole or cream)
• 1 ½ teaspoons + a splash of vanilla extract or vanilla liquor or amaretto (so good!) or combination thereof.
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 2 cups (or more) semisweet chocolate chips or combination of white and chocolate (preference)

Hardware:

• Parchment paper (preference)
• Baking sheets
• Mixer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (I wish I was good at preheating....)
2. Soften butter to room temperature--this is important!  I mean, you *can* melt, but soften is better. I’m sure I can come up with a thesis and support, but trust me, it’s for a smooth cookie.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.  Not sure how I feel about the sifting since my sifter never seems to work right, but sifting does make for a softer cookie.
4. Beat softened butter in mixing bowl of a heavy duty mixer at medium speed until it is lighter and clings to bowl--I could give you a time (about a minute) but it depends on your mixer. 
5. Keeping the mixer at medium speed, add both sugars in small quantities--maybe in 4 or 5 portions. Continue to cream butter and sugars for 4-5 minutes, scraping down bowl as necessary. When done the mixture will be light in color and fluffy in appearance.  
6. Try not to sample. It can be dangerous.
7. Whisk eggs with vanilla and/or liquor(s) and milk in small bowl and add to butter and sugar mixture, keeping beater on medium speed. Pour in the eggs slowly, maybe 3-4 minutes to add the eggs. The mixture then appears fluffy, looking somewhat like whipped cream cheese. This is the "creaming method" for making a butter cake which comes from Flo Braker's The Simple Art of Perfect Baking.
8. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
9. Stir in the chocolate chips.
10. So here’s the clincher---chill the dough. For maybe a few hours.  Or overnight. It totally makes a difference!!!
11. Then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. 
12. Remove....cool for a minute...make sure you test...and then cool completely before storing.
13. Enjoy.