Sweet Holiday Happiness: The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I know, I know... it has been far too long since I have posted, but I do have a great excuse! The Handsome Spaniard is in town for Christmas and we have been busy celebrating and I have been busy preparing everything!!! Anyways, amongst all of this happiness, I have definitely had some delicious meals lined up. Today, however, I will share a sweet treat with you...the best chocolate chip cookies in existence.

Now, I will warn you that this is purely chocolate chip, nothing else special to add texture or complex flavors. Yes, it is weird coming from my kitchen, but again, I am not a natural baker :) That is usually left up to my dear roommate. My goal though is to build up a base of staple baking recipes so that I can hold my own in the kitchen, no matter what's thrown at me. I also have a brownie recipe that kicks ass, but I'll have to bring that up another day!

These cookies were a dream! I made them as big as my outstretched hand, because let's be honest, cookies shouldn't be the size of half dollars--that's just wrong. They were soft in the center with a slight crunch, and they could be reheated to softness even after a few days. Perfect with tea, a nice breakfast (for the soul not your health), a good ending to lunch, the possibilities for cookies are endless--I'm sure I don't have to tell you that!

While on the search for this recipe, I went to my normal go-to references like Epicurious, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, various food blogs, and of course my recipe book collection, but I found that a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe was not really part of my arsenal of great recipes. Then I was taking a listen to Lynne Rossetto Kaspar on the Splendid Table and I thought that she must have a published recipe on the best chocolate chip cookies ever...and sure enough, there they were.

There are times when a warm chocolate chip cookie out of the oven is just what you need to make a rainy day happy, a rough day at work a little more tolerable, and to keep that chocolate craving from taking over your life! Cozy up with your mixer and preheat that oven...it's time for some cookies!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from David Leite via The Splendid Table

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8-1/2 ounces) cake flour

1-2/3 cups (8-1/2 ounces) bread flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 Sea salt

2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened

1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1-1/4 pounds dark chocolate chips

Vanilla Sugar

Dark Chocolate Sugar

Orange Fleur de Sel

Okay, so as far as I can deduce, baking is as simple as measuring accurately, mixing up your dry ingredients and your wet ingredients and then incorporating them together. Finally you throw it all in an oven at some set degree and you wait between 8 min- 1 hr for whatever it is you are cooking to puff up into happiness. That's the approach we're taking with these cookies too!

First you need to sift the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Reserve.

Cream the butter and all of the sugars together in a mixer with a paddle attachment. They should be so creamy they look like fluffy, buttery sugar clouds whipped into ribbons in your bowl. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly between each egg. When that's done mix in the vanilla!

Mix in the dry ingredients on the low setting until just incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the dough until just combined. You just made chocolate chip cookie dough! I feel like I eat half of the dough before it gets in the oven...this dough is irresistible...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

I cooked these in a preheated 350º oven for 19 minutes on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

When they came out of the oven, we added a little sprinkle of something special while they were still hot. My choice is definitely the orange fleur de sel---it put the basic chocolate chip cookie into the realm of incredibly awesome. We also had vanilla sugar and dark chocolate sugar, which were wonderful as well...I think I would be a little more heavy handed with the sugars to get the same wow effect as the fleur de sel--but that really makes it special.

Finally, stack these babies up and give them to everyone you know. Share them over a tall glass of milk with your neighbors, bring them to work, sneak a few in lunchboxes to share, and make sure that you get your fair share as well. The season of giving shouldn't just be reserved for December, so tuck this recipe away and use it whenever you need a solid pick-me-up!

Enjoy!!!

Cake Flour: A Sweet Dusting of Good Sense

When Cake Flour opened at the gateway of the up and coming NuLu Art District neighborhood, I couldn't have been more delighted. I regard a good bakery as an indispensable part of a happy lifestyle, and I doubt I'm alone! This particular bakery doesn't just have your basic pastries and cakes, oh no no no, it is a veritable kaleidoscope of delectable goodness, from the sweet and savory categories. Their mission is to deliver quality-made products out of organic and all-natural ingredients, and in my opinion they do so with great passion and talent. Everything I have ever chosen has been absolutely phenomenal and I float closer to nirvana with every bite of those Opera bars...seriously.

Today's story begins at the County Clerk's office--so it is logical that we ended up using chocolate therapy to recover from our unnecessarily long visit to renew the car tags. Goodness. It is as hot as can be (I recommend a good friend's blog post on August to get an idea), insufferable, and I had to go out to the parking meter three times to assist our public workers in their processing. By the time everything was ready set to go, my roommate and I were in need of either a brewski or mainline chocolate. Cake Flour had the perfect remedy on the way home.

Every time you walk into Cake Flour, you will meet a friendly face, I promise. I feel like I am at home, except there are far more baked goods than a home kitchen can churn out (or at least more than we have attempted...challenge accepted!). Anyways, you go in there and are met by a welcoming glass display case with many many choices ahead of you. The gentle hum of the bakery's fans calm you and you enter a zen moment where the only important choices you have to make are between lavender, vanilla, and chocolate (and more, but you get the idea). If you can't make the choice, you can take them all--I know, it is a beautiful thing. 

We ended up filling a box and then scarfing down a flourless chocolate cake, which was truly decadent indulgence. Today's choices included the ladybugs, opera bars, and two chocolate cupcakes with earl grey lavender frosting--WIN. 

Cake Flour also features daily specials, which you can see everyday if you are a Facebook friend. I would call that moment of my day the culinary wake-up call, and I love it! I unfortunately can't go everyday to try the specials, but I would if I could. The savory scones always make me feel warm and fuzzy, the quiche is flawless, and their flavor combinations based on seasonal ingredients are always inspired. In addition to daily specials, they also accept special orders for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, basically any occasion that deserves a cake. I ordered a cake last year for my roommate and I was so happy to see the choices, I could choose the cake flavor, the filling flavor, the frosting and decoration and I couldn't have been more pleased.

This Louisville Lady Gourmet gives Cake Flour a big thank you for making gorgeous sweets that keeps Louisville a little more sane. Bravo! So go get some pure, all natural, organic bakery in your life for breakfast, lunch, or dinner--you will return on many occasions thereafter!

Cake Flour: A Natural Baking Company

900 E. Market St. Suite 100

Louisville, KY 

Phone: 502.719.0173 info@cakeflouronmarket.com www.cakeflouronmarket.com