The New York Times chocolate chip cookies are one of my most favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. I first made a batch several months ago and completely fell in love. Since then, it’s been one of my go-to chocolate chip cookies. In this post, I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about making them.
The famous New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies aren’t the kind of cookies you can just whip up and bake the same day. What makes them so special are the kind of chocolate you use and the chill-time for the cookie dough, which is up to 36 hours. Once baked, they remind me a lot of gourmet chocolate chip cookies from a bakery.
When I first made this recipe, I had a lot of questions. There are so many particulars with this recipe and I wondered if they were necessary. So, I made a few more batches and am excited to share what I’ve learned, so in this post I am answering some questions you might have if you decide to make these chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Do I really need to refrigerate chocolate chip cookie dough for 24 to 36 hours?
Yes, it definitely makes a difference when you make these cookies. Refrigerating the dough accomplishes several things.
- It allows time for the eggs and other wet ingredients to fully absorb into the dry ingredients. This results in a dough that is very dense and heavy, which is what you want.
- Refrigerating the dough also helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while they bake. It also makes a big difference in the texture of the baked cookies, which are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside once they’re baked.
- Chilling the dough also helps give the cookies a more complex flavor. The dough will lose moisture as it chills which intensifies the flavors of the ingredients.
Can I freeze the cookie dough?
Yes! You can freeze the cookie dough. It’s one of the things I love best about this recipe because I can make a batch, chill the dough, and just bake a few of them. I stick the leftover dough in the freezer to have on hand whenever I want to make a few cookies.
I like to make the dough balls before freezing them so it’s easy just to grab a few when I want to make cookies. You can let the dough balls thaw and bake them as listed in the instructions or you can bake them from frozen. If you bake the frozen dough balls you will need to add a few minutes to the bake time.
Chocolate
Do I really need to use chocolate disks?
The original recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate disks which are more expensive and harder to find than regular chocolate chips, but they make a big difference in the cookies.
When chocolate chips melt they don’t really lose their shape, unlike chocolate disks. The disks melt so that chocolate is running throughout the entire cookie and in every bite you take. So, yes, using the chocolate disks is worth it and makes a big difference.
Using chocolate disks that have at least 60% cacao, otherwise known as bittersweet chocolate, will also give your cookies a rich chocolate flavor.
I love chocolate chip cookies and have several favorite recipes depending on the type of cookie I’m in the mood for. So, here are three more chocolate chip cookie recipes for you to try…
Best Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies | If you love soft chocolate chip cookies this is my go-to recipe. The cookies come out ultra-thick and soft and stay that way for several days.
Crispy Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies | These bakery-style large chocolate chip cookies are thin and chewy with crispy crinkled edges. They also are loaded with chocolate chunks.
Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookies | These cookies are my copy-cat version of the famous ones made at Levain Bakery in New York City. They have crispy edges and a soft, slightly underbaked interior. When you break open the cookie, it falls open, revealing a gooey center with melted chocolate mixed in.
Ad Hoc Chocolate Chip Cookies | This is the famous recipe from Thomas Keller. It has two kinds of chocolate and is a great cookie recipe, too.
Oreo Truffle Chocolate Chip Cookies | These are fancy bakery-style cookies with chocolate chips and Oreo truffle chunks baked inside.
New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
- 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks at least 60 percent cacao content
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
- Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
- Scoop six 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto a baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
If one does not have bread flour or cake flour on hand, can one substitute all purpose flour in the same quantity?
i would not recommend it. the bread flour and cake flour make a huge difference for the texture.
Does anyone else have problems with scooping the dough after taking it out of the frig? Are you supposed to let the dough get to room temperature?
I usually break the dough off with my hands or you can let it soften a little.
Are you adding the salt to the flour mixture or just sprinkling the tops of cookies
Salt is in the flour mixture, as indicated in the directions. You can also sprinkle sea salt on top before baking the dough, but I usually leave that out.
What if I didn’t chill the dough, how would it effect the outcome
Chilling the dough really helps develop the flavors. So I would definitely recommend it. You can taste a huge difference if you were to compare non chilling to chilling for at least 24-48 hours
i haven’t made these yet, but i know i like ’em! I remember the cookies you made a few years ago, OMG!
I know your aversion to touching dough. Maybe you can enlist TC to help!
You don’t really need the chocolate disks. I have used good quality chocolate chips or chunks and even chopped up chocolate bars. I also reduced the size of it to a regular cookies size and reduced baking to 10 to 12 minutes. It still just as delicious. 🙂
I’ve used regular chocolate chips before but I like how the disks are much wider so that you’re more likely to end up with an even distribution of chocolate throughout the cookie, instead of having it in clumps. I haven’t tried to reduce the size of the cookie before though. I will have to experiment with that next time.
This is my favorite ccc recipe too! I’ve tried a bunch of other recipes, but one is still the best.
I think this is one of those few “best” recipes that most people really do feel it is the best. I’ve come across so many blogs who love it too.
It does seem silly I’ve never made it before. But I will soon remedy this! Must find chocolate discs… 🙂
This is still my favorite recipe 🙂 I always keep some dough in the freezer for cookie emergencies!
I try to also! But it’s hard since the cookies are so big so I don’t usually have much leftover dough.
I haven’t tried this recipe before! Where do you get your chocolate discs from?
I’m surprised you haven’t made this! Definitely definitely do! I buy my discs from Surfas. They have a store in LA and a store in OC now. They also have an online shop.
This too is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and I have made it many times. They freeze really well too. I make the cookie balls and freeze on a cookie sheet, then add them to a Ziploc bag and voila, fresh baked cookies whenever I fell like it. Just add a minute or two to baking time. They also make a great white chocolate, macadamia cookie. Just replace the dark chocolate chips for white chips and the nuts. This is by far the best cookie recipe I have ever tried.
I freeze the dough too whenever I have leftovers. I really really love this recipe.