cookies Recipe

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies a.k.a. THE BEST EVER

NYT Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is hands down my favorite cookie recipe ever.  You see, this recipe has sort of a cult following. My friend David Leite of Leite’s Culinaria wrote this wonderful piece in the New York Times in 2008 about the history of this most famous cookie. In the article, David gives the recipe that he adapted from Jacques Torres.  I have to tell you, I’ve made this recipe at least 50 times and it always turns out perfectly. Whenever I gift these cookies, people always ask for the recipe! They’re perfect for special occasions, pot lucks, and even to help give solace to those experiencing stressful times.

It was a little bit daunting to me the first time I read the recipe.  There are two types of flour! GASP! Furthermore, you must rest the dough for 12-24 hours! MY LANDS! Now that I’m a pro at this dough, I have to tell you, it’s worth ever second of time that I originally fretted over the ingredients or resting period.  Once you have this down to a science, you’ll be prepping the dough in your sleep.

This recipe does have a few MUSTS in my opinion:

  • DO NOT skimp on the resting period
  • DO NOT use all purpose flour
  • Buy the best chocolate you can
  • Weigh your ingredients
  • Weigh your dough portions

Sometimes I skip the sea salt topping. Some people just don’t like it, although, I adore it. I sometimes use different types of chips depending on who I’m baking the cookies for.  If I know someone prefers sweeter chocolate I’ll not use a super-dark chip/chunk. I love to use Jacques Torres or Valrhona feves, but I sometimes just use chunky chips from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

Oh, I almost forgot one of my favorite parts of this recipe! The dough freezes super-well! I weigh out portions, put them on a cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap and freeze them until they’re very very solidly frozen. I then transfer them to ziplock bags. Any time I have a hankering for a cookie I grap a few dough balls from the freezer and let them defrost a bit and then bake ’em up!

My favorite cookie baking tools:

NYT Chocolate Chip Cookies Close

Are you ready to elevate your chocolate chip cookie game? Look no further than these incredible ingredients, carefully selected to create the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.

First up, we have two types of flour: cake flour and bread flour. Cake flour is a finely milled flour that’s low in protein, which helps create a delicate and tender crumb in these cookies. Bread flour, on the other hand, has a higher protein content, which gives the cookies a chewy and satisfying texture.

To leaven the cookies, we use a combination of baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda helps the cookies spread and develop a golden brown color, while baking powder provides a bit of lift and extra tenderness.

For the butter, we use high-quality salted butter for a rich and buttery flavor. Light brown sugar and sugar are added for sweetness, and eggs and vanilla extract are added for structure and flavor.

But let’s not forget about the star of the show – the chocolate chunks! We use the best quality chocolate we can find, in the form of feves or super chunky pieces. These larger pieces of chocolate create pockets of melted chocolate throughout the cookie, providing a luxurious and decadent bite.

Finally, for the perfect finishing touch, we sprinkle a bit of Maldon Sea Salt on top of the cookies. This optional step adds a bit of crunch and a hint of saltiness that perfectly balances out the sweetness of the cookies.

So there you have it – the ultimate list of ingredients for the perfect chocolate chip cookies. Give this recipe a try and prepare to be blown away by the rich, chewy, and indulgent flavor of these cookies!

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5 from 5 votes
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New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is adapted from a recipe published in the New York Times in 2008 by David Leite.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Best Recipe, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookie Recipe, Cookies, New York Times Cookies
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Resting Time 18 hours
Total Time 48 minutes
Servings 18 Cookies
Author we are all magic

Ingredients

  • 8.5 ounces cake flour 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
  • 8.5 ounces bread flour 1 ⅔ cups
  • 1.25 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
  • 10 ounces salted butter 2.5 sticks/1.25 cups
  • 10 ounces light brown sugar 1.25 cups
  • 8 ounces sugar 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract I use a generous pour!
  • 1.25 lbs. best quality chocolate chunks feves or super chunky is the best
  • Maldon Sea Salt optional

Instructions

  1. In a stand mixer, cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy. I usually let it mix on medium for at least five minutes while I’m measuring out the dry ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flours and the baking powder and soda and set aside.

  3. Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.

  4. Add vanilla.

  5. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the dry ingredients.

  6. Add chocolate and mix a little to incorporate.  I like it when the mixer breaks up the big chunks a bit.

  7. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pressing it down onto the dough so there’s no air touching the dough.

  8. Rest the dough in the refrigerator for 18-36 hours. I usually try to give it at least 24 hours.

  9. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet.

  10. Weigh out scoops of dough to exactly 3.5 ounces. Trust me, this recipe turns out best when you are really particular about weighing out the dough! Place six of the dough balls on the tray with a lot of room around each one. If you’re going to use sea salt on the cookies, sprinkle a bit on each dough ball now.

  11. Bake for 18-20 minutes. The cookies will look a little gooey still. Remove from oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.

  12. Repeat until all your cookies are baked.

  13. Eat the whole dang batch and then start prepping another!

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made! They’re perfect in every way, iconic even! There’s a long resting period for the dough, but trust me, it’s SO worth the wait!

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17 Comments

  • Reply
    Andrea M
    January 5, 2020 at 9:56 am

    I made these in Michigan and they were flat as pancakes, cooking in 11 minutes; unable to pull off parchment paper. I made them in Napa, CA and they were delicious. What do you suggest to do to the baking soda and baking powder for baking them in Mi?

    • Reply
      we are all magic
      January 24, 2020 at 5:29 pm

      Wow, I’ve never heard of that happening! I have no clue! My only guess could be that the levening that you used in MI may have not worked properly?

  • Reply
    Areeba
    February 8, 2020 at 7:18 am

    I dont have cake flour available can I replace it with any other flour. Or use all purpose flour with cornstarch?

    • Reply
      we are all magic
      June 1, 2020 at 4:02 pm

      I have never tried to replace it with AP flour, you’d have to test. I suspect it will work, but the cookies might have a bit of a different consistency.

    • Reply
      Judy
      April 26, 2021 at 7:41 am

      If you have only all-purpose flour, your best bet would probably be to just replace both the cake and bread flour with AP flour. The difference between cake, AP, and bread flour is the protein content: approximately 6-8% for cake, 10-12% for AP, and 12-15% for bread. Some of that depends on where you live; Canadian AP flour tends to be on the higher side of the scale. So with all AP flour, you’re basically just splitting the difference between the cake and bread flours.

  • Reply
    Builddaysis
    March 8, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona feves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

  • Reply
    Thodoris
    August 4, 2020 at 11:01 am

    5 stars
    Hello! Thanks for the recipe! I have one question. Should I bake them using the oven’s fan function (air with bottom heat or air with bottom and up heat) or just bottom heat? Thanks.

    • Reply
      Scott
      July 28, 2022 at 12:46 am

      I wouldn’t use the convection (fan) setting. It will dry out and set the surface of the cookie too soon and not develop in shape correctly.

      • Reply
        we are all magic
        September 12, 2022 at 7:11 pm

        It actually helps the cookies get crisp on the outside and stay gooey on the inside. But let me know if you try it out without convection! Thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Teresa
    November 10, 2020 at 11:14 pm

    5 stars
    I have made these cookies several times.. amazing and gets better every batch!

  • Reply
    Kerry
    April 22, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome cookie-worth it’s weight in gold!! just curious, how many calories in 1 cookie??

  • Reply
    Todd
    December 2, 2021 at 2:07 am

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe. I used all purpose flour in place of bread flour and it turned out awesome. I did 3 oz balls, refrigerated the pan prior to baking, and baked for 13 minutes, cooled on paper bag (like from the store) and they were incredible.

  • Reply
    Carol
    December 3, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    Recipe looks great/interesting. I appreciate the explanation about the proteins in different flours. I have been trying different ccc recipes and most are flat fails. I want to double check before I try yet another recipe, that it is correct there is no salt as part of the recipe ? I see it as a topping if desired, but no salt as an ingredient ? Also curious if the butter should be softened or melted or melted and cooled? Thank you so much, Carol

    • Reply
      we are all magic
      December 4, 2021 at 3:10 pm

      Hi Carol! I use salted butter when I make these cookies. I also am not usually too picky about the butter being soft or cold as the 5 min creaming takes care of getting it to the right consistency. But not melted. You might want to follow the recipe from the NY Times… it’s perfection, this version just has a few little workarounds that I use to make it easier for my life, but if you’re looking for the best of the best you should try out the original too! Hope you love it as much as I do!

  • Reply
    Deborah J. swift
    June 20, 2022 at 1:51 am

    I made these cookies and the recipe is easy. My only complaint is that the batter is stiff after being in the fridge for 24 hours which makes it difficult to scoop so next time I will let them sit on the counter at room temp for at least half an hour. I used 2 ounces for the measurement which made very large cookies. I got two dozen cookies. They are delicious..

    • Reply
      we are all magic
      September 12, 2022 at 7:24 pm

      It always takes some elbow grease to scoop them! I like your idea! YUM!

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