The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe... For Now



My quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie will never end. It's a journey that I will relentlessly travel as long as I live. I know you're on it, too. That search for the crunch around the edges, the soft, gooey middle, the melty chocolaty goodness, the smudged fingerprints that you carelessly wipe on the back of your jeans. The cookie that gives you the "Oh my God, I never want this cookie to end" kind of feeling. I know you know that feeling.

To date, the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever tasted happened on an unusually warm and sunny January day in Seattle. My mom and I popped into Macrina Bakery and Cafe for an afternoon treat. As soon as we walked in, the tray of Rick's Chocolate Apricot Espresso cookies were slid inside the pastry window, steaming the glass. Sold.

I ordered what was - and still is - the best chocolate chip cookie to ever grace my lips. Now, I foresee some commotion from the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever Committee over the addition of the apricot and espresso here. Sure, it's not a classic recipe. But maybe that's what we've been missing all these years?!

What made it exactly? The apricot, with its alternative, chewy texture? The espresso, with its subtle lingering essence? Or was the extra heaping of chocolate chips that made it? Most likely. Or was it situational? The uncharacteristically balmy winter weather? Or that my mom and I had just found the perfect wedding dress? The scent - that perfect scent - that made me want to stand frozen in time?

Regardless, on that day, at that moment, Rick's Chocolate Apricot Espresso cookie was perfect.  I don't know who Rick is but I do know that he is a good, good man.

And then... it was gone. My intentions to slowly savor every last crumb were bested by my impassioned fervor to piggishly shove every bite in my mouth before the cookie cooled. I never learn. Sigh.

So there you have it. The best chocolate chip cookie ever... for now anyway. Come to think of it, Macrina also makes my favorite muffin ever - the Morning Glory. Which, I suppose, means that Macrina is (again, to date) my favorite bakery ever. Whew, bold statement. I'll keep the search going, though. In fairness to all the cookies, muffins and bakeries out there, of course.

Now here we are, all this talk about these amazing cookies with the apricot and the espresso and I don't even make them. But this recipe is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I personally have ever made. And I've made my share. From well-known food bloggers with the fancy chocolate to the Nestle chocolate chip bag to the depths of Google, I've found this recipe from Allrecipes.com to be my favorite.

Cheers (with milk)!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe... For Now
From Allrecipes.com

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.