Chocolate chip cookies hold deep nostalgia and anyone who has an affinity for the classic confection will have a different take on what feature is most important to a "perfect" cookie.
For some, it's all about the type of chocolate -- be it chips, chunks, semisweet or bittersweet -- and for others, it's all about improving on technique by browning the butter to create the perfect chewy dough or using flaky salt to finish.
But for the expert team of recipe developers at the King Arthur Baking Company, it's about reinventing the recipe so that all levels of bakers can create the classic baked good with a twist of never-before-seen techniques to create a cookie that is bigger, bolder and better than any they've tasted before.
Make these cinnamon rolls dubbed King Arthur Baking's Recipe of the Year"This is a new take on chocolate chip cookies that requires a little bit more time and intentionality than your average one-bowl chocolate chip cookie recipe, but it's a lot more worth it," the test kitchen team said. "Whether bakers are always trying different chocolate chip cookie recipes or have a stand-by favorite, we hope they'll make this recipe and join the conversation about the Supersized, Super-Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies."
To make sure it lived up to its title for the 2024 Recipe of the Year, it took the team led by Molly Marzalek-Kelly two years, 75 tests, and over 1,200 cookies, to concoct a chocolate chip cookie in the test kitchen that was worthy of the title.
King Arthur veteran and associate recipe editor Kye Ameden, one of the five team members who helped develop the company's 11th Recipe of the Year, told "Good Morning America" they understand "people are super passionate" and particular about this bake, so they collectively collaborated on "what problems can we solve with this recipe -- like not having to wait for butter to soften -- and ranked the ideal things that make them the very best."
"There's so many different ways to make amazing chocolate chip cookies -- we wanted to come up with something that was new and innovative and different," Ameden said. "It's just an entirely different kind of chocolate chip cookie recipe, so stirring the pot a little bit intentionally this year."
Defining features of the King Arthur chocolate chip cookie recipe
There are a few key differences in this recipe. First, brown butter, which creates a deep nutty and complex flavor in the dough.
Second, is the use of a technique called tangzhong, "cooking some of the liquid in the recipe with some of the flour beforehand" which Ameden explained is typically seen for milk bread recipes, "but we were really excited about the idea of trying it in a cookie dough because it imparts this really wonderful soft texture that we haven't seen in a cookie before."
To help remove any notion of intimidation around this technique for home bakers, Ameden encouraged that it couldn't be simpler, especially since "you're already at the stovetop because you've just browned your butter."
"I try to break it down into the basics of what it actually is, which is cooking flour and milk on the stove for less than five minutes," she said. "It is so basic -- and because your pan is already hot, it takes more like two minutes. You can do it, and it creates a cookie that has a texture like you've never had before."
The recipe calls for bread flour, which Ameden said creates "this soft texture that's almost a little bendy and stays that way for a few days." The result is a cookie with "slightly crisp edges with this super soft texture with a little bit of chew."
Additionally, letting the dough chill in the refrigerator overnight for this recipe, helps hydrate the dough and enhance the flavors as well as help to prevent the cookies from spreading during baking.
Finally, another key attribute to set this cookie apart -- there's no special equipment required. The whole recipe comes together by hand with a whisk, so no need for a fancy stand mixer.
Check out the full recipe below, plus additional cookie baking tips from Ameden, and be sure to share any thoughts or questions with the team of experts.
"When we set out to make a chocolate chip cookie worthy of the title of Recipe of the Year, we knew we had to create a version that combined ingredients and techniques in never-before-seen ways. The result is big, ultra-buttery cookies full of deep caramel notes thanks to nutty brown butter. The texture - ultra-soft but also a little bendy, [which] comes from the tangzhong starter as well as bread flour, which lends a satisfying chew. And then there's the chocolate: a big handful of chopped semisweet wafers that adds sweetness and complexity - and pushes the chocolate chip cookie into bolder, richer, and more sophisticated territory than it's ever gone before."
Prep time: 35 minutes
Bake time: 15 to 22 minutes
Total time: 1 day and 1 hour (accounts for chilling/resting)
Yield: 16 to 17 large (4-inch) cookies or 28 medium (3-inch) cookies
Ingredients
2 cups (426g) light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons table salt
16 tablespoons (226g) unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup (113g) milk, whole preferred
2 3/4 cups (330g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour, divided
2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
1 tablespoon King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (340g) semisweet chocolate, preferably 60% to 65% cocoa content
*Use chopped wafers or bars for best results; if using chocolate chips, chop them roughly before incorporating.
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
To brown the butter: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. After several minutes, the butter will sizzle and may spatter.
Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan regularly for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it's a dark golden-brown color and brown bits start collecting at the bottom of the pan; the butter will have stopped sizzling and may also have a layer of foam on the surface.
Once the butter is browned, immediately pour it over the sugar mixture (be sure to scrape out the brown bits at the bottom) and whisk vigorously to combine; this helps dissolve the sugar and creates the shiny surface of the baked cookies. Set the empty saucepan aside to cool slightly.
To make the tangzhong: In the same saucepan used to brown the butter, combine the milk with 3 tablespoons (23g) of the bread flour and whisk until no lumps remain.
Place the saucepan over low heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly with a flexible spatula, until it's thickened, paste- like, and starts to come together into one mass, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and transfer directly to the bowl with the ор butter and sugar. Whisk until mostly smooth; some lumps of the tangzhong mixture are OK.
Add the eggs and vanilla and continue whisking until smooth.
Weigh or measure the remaining 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon (307g) bread flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add the bread flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar, then add the baking powder and baking soda. Using a flexible spatula, stir until well combined and no dry spots remain.
Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
While the batter is cooling, use a serrated knife to roughly chop the chocolate into coarse pieces. Avoid chopping the chocolate too fine, as small pieces will melt when mixed into the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and return to the refrigerator for 24 to 72 hours to allow the flavors to intensify
To bake the cookies: When you're ready to bake, remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to warm up slightly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center.
Scoop the dough into 85g to 90g portions; a level scone and muffin scoop works well here. If you're scooping by hand, the mounds of dough should be about 2 1/4" in diameter. To make smaller cookies (that are still generous in size), scoop the dough into 50g portions using a jumbo cookie scoop.
Arrange the scooped cookie dough on parchment-lined baking sheets, placing them 3" to 4" apart. (The 90g cookies can be arranged in a 2-1-2 pattern; the 50g cookies can be arranged in a slightly staggered 4 × 2 pattern.) For consistently shaped cookies, roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball before placing on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the large (90g) chocolate chip cookies for 18 to 22 minutes or the smaller (50g) cookies for 15 to 18 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies are browned, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure even browning. (For best results, bake one pan of cookies at a time.)
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheets until cool enough to handle, at least 15 minutes.
Storage information: Store leftover chocolate chip cookies, covered, for up to 5 days; their slightly crispy edges will soften and the cookies will maintain a soft texture. Freeze baked cookies for longer storage.
Tips from our Bakers
To avoid scooping chilled (relatively hard) cookie dough: Scoop the dough after about 1 to 2 hours of chilling (step 11) and then return to the refrigerator to continue chilling for 24 to 72 hours. Follow the recipe as otherwise written.
For a more complex, less sweet flavor: Replace up to 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate with bittersweet chocolate (between 70% to 75% cocoa content).
To bake immediately (no overnight rest): Prepare the recipe as written through chopping the chocolate (step 10). Prepare a 9" × 13" pan with a parchment paper sling; lightly grease the shorter, exposed sides of the pan with nonstick spray. Fold in the chopped chocolate, and then immediately transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 350°F for 34 to 38 minutes, until well- browned and set. A toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center should come out with some moist crumbs but no raw batter.
Cool the cookie bars completely before using the sling to remove them from the pan and slicing into bars.
Scooped cookie dough can be also stored in the freezer. Bake frozen cookie dough until the edges are set and the cookies are browned, about 22 to 24 minutes. These cookies will spread slightly less than cookie dough that was baked after a 24-hour rest in the refrigerator, but they'll still have their signature shiny appearance, soft texture, and caramelized flavor.
To make this recipe gluten-free: Replace the bread flour with an equal amount of King Arthur Gluten-Free Bread Flour. For the best overall texture, press down the scooped cookie dough with your fingers until they're about 3" in diameter. Bake the cookies for an additional 2 to 4 minutes (about 20 to 26 minutes total) to ensure they're baked through.
Recipe reprinted courtesy of King Arthur Baking Company.
An earlier version of this story was originally published Dec. 27, 2023.