Chocolate Chip Cookie Battle: Contestant #1

So a couple of posts ago, I reached out to folks for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and got some good suggestions. I grew up with the recipe on the back of the Toll House chocolate chip bag, and while it has served me well for 20+ years, I thought it was time to test the other chocolate chip waters. Enter Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as contestant #1 in the battle for the title of "The Baketress' Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie."

To that end, here are my thoughts on Martha's recipe......AWESOME!! These cookies are pretty amazing....sorry Toll House. The batter is light and fluffy and delicious. I'm a big fan of slightly undercooked cookies, making them kinda gooey and soft in the middle, and these do not disappoint. The one major difference between these cookies and the original Toll House is this:

Toll House uses 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar
Martha uses 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup or brown sugar

Who knew that such a slight change could make such a difference. Another difference is that Martha's recipe says to beat the butter mixture for about a minute before adding the eggs. This makes the batter light and fluffy and it still remains moist enough to take on the dry ingredients without needing extra moisture. It also helps get rid of that grainy sugar feeling that the Toll House dough usually has.....the texture of the dough is important because I eat more raw dough than I do actual baked cookies. By the way...whoever started that vicious rumor that you can get salmonella from raw cookie dough is a liar. Ive been eating it for over 20 years (in large quantities mind you) and Ive never gotten sick....NEVER!!

So without further ado, here is the recipe for some excellent cookies. I give it a 9!!! Try them yourself and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 cup(s) (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar
1 cup(s) packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon(s) salt
2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cup(s) (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies