The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies: my birthday cookie

Guess what? I'm in love with birthdays. I love how it's a holiday that is super personal and can't be overly merchandised by stores. I love that there is one day a year that I can have permission to spoil a friend or even an acquaintance. I can honestly say that birthdays are my favorite holiday; I even look forward to it more than Christmas.

I'm not sure if it is selfish or not, but I really love my own birthday too. The whole day feels magical to me. I have very clear memories of most of my birthdays, even ones that weren't over the top exciting. One of the things I love about it is that I love to make a treat that's extra special to share with my coworkers and family. This year, I decided to hold out and make The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that everyone went nuts over back in July. Being a big fan of Jacques Torres, I was very intrigued to try this cookie - I had made his original recipe last year as a gift and thought those cookies were pretty darn good. How much better could these be? The answer: a lot!

I stayed true to the recipe as much as I could. Since Scharffenberger chocolate only comes in one pound boxes, I only used two pounds of it instead of the two and a half pounds the recipe called for. Maybe it was because I made a much smaller cookie, but honestly, with just the two pounds, it seemed like too much chocolate but I really liked the combination. My only other change was using vanilla paste for one of the two teaspoons of vanilla. I only did that because I ran out (the horror!) of vanilla. I also opted to make a smaller cookie. I used a 1 oz cookie scoop (ping pong sized ball of dough) instead of the golf ball size the original recipe called for. Big cookies are fun too, but I like a cookie that I can eat in a bite or two.

If you're going to make these cookies, please spring for the really good chocolate. While Hersey's, Baker's, and the other chips that you can buy in the store are good (I use them all the time), something magical happens to the flavor of the cookie when you use really high quality chocolate. It's seriously worth it. Oh and don't forget the sea salt. I know it sounds scary and strange to put salt on a cookie right before you put it in the oven, but it's only a teeny tiny amount. I made a dozen with and without the salt and the cookies that were salted really did taste better.

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from NYTimes.com

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons 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 teaspoons natural vanilla extract (I ran out of vanilla and used 1 teaspoon for vanilla extract and one teaspoon of vanilla paste)
1/2 pound each of bittersweet (70% cocoa content) and milk chocolate (41%) disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt (don't use regular salt. Kosher will do but try to find sea salt if you can. I got one with a grinder at Trader Joe's for around $2)

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.(If you want to scoop them while they are still soft, that's okay!) Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 12 1-ounce mounds of dough (the size of a ping pong ball) onto 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 in the middle, 9 to 11 minutes. **They will continue to bake after you take them out of the oven. If they look slightly shiny in the center of the cookie, but slightly brown on the edges, they are done. Be careful not to over bake them!** 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. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Note: I bought my Scharfenberger chocolate disks at William's and Sonoma for $12 for one pound.

Yield: I made 2 batches and end up with 18 dozen cookies. I do not recommend making 2 dozen in one big batch. Make two smaller batches instead. My stand mixer couldn't do it's job mixing every thing in such a large batch.
Would I Make This Again? Yes!! This is one of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made. It was really something special. I'm glad I waited until my birthday to make it.