Dorie's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies - a study in cookieness

So after my post about how I love the back-of-the-bag recipe for chocolate chip cookies, I decided I needed to venture out and try other's ideas of what makes the best cookie. Naturally, I turned to our beloved Dorie.

The Ravens are in the playoffs so the entire city of Baltimore is purple-crazed. I braved the supermarket to get my ingredients and felt very out of place in my non-purple clothes. I think I even got the side-eye from a few people. Our friend, Jeff, came over to watch the game, which was great - I got 2 baking taste testers!

Dorie's cookies are thin, buttery, and crispy, which makes the chips really stand out. The cookies spread a LOT during the baking, no matter what I did. I chilled the dough, chilled the pans, made smaller cookie drops...nothing worked. So, I guess they are supposed to spread. They weren't so good straight out of the oven. They are too buttery and just kinda fall apart. Some of you might like that, but not me. I like to be able to eat a warm melty cookie!

I had another one, purely for research, when they were cooled and it was a better cookie experience. After trying these, I do admit that they are good, but I still prefer my old favorite. I like a good ratio of cookie to chip and these just didn't have that. Alex and Jeff gobbled them up, which is always a good sign. Will I make these again? Probably not, unless someone specifically asks for crispy chocolate chip cookies. They were very tasty, just not my taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 sticks butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12 oz. chocolate chips (or 12 oz. chopped chocolate)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (I omitted)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.

Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium until it's creamy, about 1 minute. Add in the sugars and beat again until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating for about 1 minute between each egg. Reduce mixer speed to low, and slowly add dry ingredients, in 3 parts, mixing until just barely incorporated.

On low speed, or by hand with a spatula, mix in chips and nuts. Spoon dough by slightly rounded TBS onto baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between. Remember, they spread!

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes, until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center. Pull them from the oven and let cool for 1 minute before transfering to a cooling rack.

Enjoy with a big glass of milk!