This recipe was referred to as the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe on a Knit & Bake forum on Ravelry about a week ago and I, being a rather obvious fan of chocolate and cookies, thought I would give them a try.

Here are the results:

My thoughts: really tasty, but certainly not more so than my less work intensive cookies. The chocolate (sourced, once again, from Chocolate Arts) was amazing–of course–and the cookies themselves had a sort of yummy chewy caramel quality to them, but they flattened more than I like (which results in crispy cooled cookies) and, even though I thought I had spaced them well on the cookie sheet, they ran together all three times I baked them–they somehow gravitate towards each other in the oven (?). Even my taste testers did not rave as they are usually prone to do over baking, though no one refused seconds or a take home baggie.

I include the original recipe, as found on the New York Time website, below, but these are my modifications: bread flour  – used whole wheat flour – sifted 4 times, cake flour – used whole wheat pastry flour – sifted 2 times, used salted butter and therefore reduced salt to 1 teaspoon, chocolate used 400 grams of 70% Fleur de Cao. No sea salt, but only because I forgot… will try it on the next batch.

NY times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Published: July 9, 2008 Adapted from Jacques Torres
Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

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
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60% cacao
Sea salt.

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) 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, 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.

Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies