How To Eat A Cupcake also took the challenge, and it was on her blog that I found the recipe - can you believe I hadn't yet tried a Martha Stewart recipe? Out of all the recipes I've tried in my quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie, I really ought to have tried her recipe first!
Either way, when I saw Cassie's post, I knew I had to take the challenge to settle this issue for myself.
Once the dough was made, I divided it equally and placed half of it in the refrigerator so it could rest for 36 hours.
The other half I baked immediately - and while they turned out fairly average, the recipe did come through on it's promise of being soft and chewy with a hint of crispness around the edges.
Nearly 2 days later I baked the second half of the dough and was quite surprised at the difference - these cookies were soft but not crumbly, chewy but not underdone, and the edges were just crisp enough.They also hadn't spread as much as the un refrigerated batch, and achieved a much nicer browning.
I've decided I'll be refrigerating my cookie dough from this point on!
Martha Stewart's Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips
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 (hand mixer in my case) fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars, beat on medium until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low, add the salt, vanilla and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture, mix until just combined. Stir in 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, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking.
Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Makes 3 dozen.
FOR REFRIGERATED DOUGH: Make the dough as instructed above and set in your refrigerator for 36-40 hours before baking. Refrigerated dough will require 14-16 minutes baking.
