Legendary : The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

I probably don't need to tell most of you about the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie. It's been floating around the internet, and the food blog-o-sphere since it's publication in the summer of 2008. For me, it doesn't really get much better than a really good (warm) chocolate chip cookie and a gold glass of milk. My love for these babies border on, actually on second thought probably is, an obsession. Don't set a plate of these fresh out of the oven in front me, I lose nearly all willpower. When it comes to dessert it doesn't get much better than this simple American staple.

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

This recipe might test your patience, and your self control. You see, they're not a bake immediately recipe. Apparently, the original chocolate chip cookie recipe, created by a woman named Mrs. Ruth Wakefield, an owner of the Toll House Inn, were refrigerated overnight. The NYT recipe takes this a bit further, suggesting to refrigerate for at least 36 hours. I learned something about myself during this process. As previously mentioned, I don't have chocolate chip cookie self control. After about an hour in the fridge (and after a few half spoonfuls of cookie dough) I had to make a cookie. Just one. Afterall, in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie the author also tested his batter in intervals, immediate, 24, then finally 36 hours. 36 hours is the clear winner. Something about the dry ingredients slowly soaking up the egg, the butter, and the vanilla. It makes a cookie so caramel colored it may even cause you a bit of concern at first. I thought I was, for sure, close to burning tray after tray. I wasn't. They're just a gorgeous deep shade of cookie amber. The key is to cook them until they are just about done, not completely cooked (the middles will still look a bit gooey), then, let them cool for up to 10 minutes on the sheet. They will finish cooking, and once you peel them from their hot metal (or stone) bed, they'll be just about perfect. My dough, oddly enough, remained in the fridge for days. I took the advice of one of the bakers in the article, if you eat a cookie, you generally want a warm or freshly baked cookie, right? Not a day old. So, everyday (after 36 hours mind you) a tray was baked, each one quickly devoured by friends, family, the boyfriend and the roommate. Now, I used both bread and cake flour. Next time I may be inclined to use AP. Because of the cake (and likely bread flour) these had a bit of a thick 'cakey-ness' to them that I wasn't too fond of. Not enough for me to turn them away, by any means. But, based on some of the hype (not all, there are various opinions out there), I was expecting angels to sing out from the heavens when I ate these. They were not the holy grail of the chocolate chip cookie I was hoping for. Probably one of my favorite recipes so far, I'm just curious what difference AP flour (and perhaps, dare I say it, some shortening) might make. One thing is certain, the salt sprinkles are irreplaceable. Sea salt is this cookies bff. Don't be afraid of it.

Infamous NYT Chocolate Chip Cookie, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.
All in all, if you are as much of a chocolate chip cookie fanatic as I am, and you haven't yet, I encourage you to give this famous little recipe a try. I know the recipe has been shared by many a blogger, and is floating all over the internet, but, I'm still a bit wary and unsure of posting the recipe in it's original form here. I didn't tweak it one bit, as many others did. So, I'm going to send you directly to it. Also, if you give it a shot, or already have, I would love to know what you think, and what alterations, if any, worked for you.