Chocolate Chip Cookies, two ways
When I registered for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, I never thought I would get so much joy out of a single kitchen appliance. Not only is my lemongrass Kitchen Aid a pretty addition to the countertop, it is an amazing piece of machinery. I’ll bake simply to use my mixer, much to my husband’s delight.
It’s been raining lately and what better excuse for warming the house with baking smells than a drizzly day?
I found and slightly modified a recipe from Tyler Florence for Chocolate Chip Cookies. One version is a seductively sinful dark chocolate and tart cherry version, another is a delicious milk chocolate, coconut and walnut version. Try dividing the batter in half like I did to make two different kinds! I dare you to eat just one at a time!
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
- version 1: 1/2 bag bittersweet chocolate chips, 5 oz. dried tart cherries, 1/3 c walnut pieces
- version 2: 1/2 bag semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, 1/4 c shredded coconut, 1/3 c walnut pieces
- milk chocolate, coconut and walnut CCCs
- dark chocolate & tart cherry CCCs
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.
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 your choice of goodies.
To form the cookies, scoop cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into an 1 1/2 inch diameter ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 9 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly 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.
