the chewy [alton brown's chocolate chip cookies]

exactly one year ago - almost to the day - i declared the cook's illustrated chocolate chip cookie as the best cookie i've ever made. it seems like ever since then, alton brown and his ubiquitous chewy have been taunting me with promises of chewiness from the use of bread flour. until one friday night, when i just couldn't take it anymore, i gave in.

and now i don't know what to think! can there possibly be two best chocolate chip cookies?!

there's really only one thing that makes this recipe different from any other chocolate chip cookie i've ever made before: bread flour. sounds odd, right. and if you're like me, using it requires another trip to the grocery store, since i've yet to come across a reason to purchase it. until now. and at first, i was skeptical. could changing the flour really make the cookies chewier? i didn't buy it.

i didn't notice a difference in the texture until two days later, when the cookies were remarkably still really chewy. not dried out. not soft. but chewy. i wouldn't necessarily say i'm sold on the bread flour switch out, but it definitely didn't hurt.

what i did miss from last years' cookies is the browned butter. now that, is entirely different. magical, almost. the nutty taste is perfect in a chocolate chip cookie. i wonder how the cook's illustrated recipe would be made with bread flour? sounds like the next recipe when the next chocolate chip cookie hits.

the chewy
adapted from alton brown
15 min prep, 2 hours chill, 1 hour bake; makes 2 1/2 dozen large cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. pour in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer) and set aside.
2. in a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together. set aside.
3. add the sugar and brown sugar to the melted butter and cream on medium speed, about 2 minutes. add the egg, yolk, milk, and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
4. with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture until combined. stir in the chocolate chips.
5. chill the dough at least two hours or overnight.
6. when your dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. roll about 4 tablespoons of dough (or 2 ounces if you want to weigh each one) into balls or use a #20 disher, and place on the cookie sheet. be sure to leave ample room between them, as they spread while baking.
8. bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to cool. store in an airtight container.

check out more sweet eats at sweet tooth friday & sweets for a saturday!