The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Not all chocolate chip cookies are the same and I've been told by Mikey himself that I make perfect chocolate chip cookies. There are a couple of reasons for that fact.

One, practice makes perfect and I've made so many I don't even use a recipe anymore. However there are a few secrets that I will share with you in making this delicious cookie.



Let's start with the sugar: most recipes call for equal amounts of brown and granulated sugars. I use more brown sugar than granulated, one cup of brown and half a cup of granulated. That gives the cookie a deeper, richer flavor.

Next, don't over-whip your butter and sugar until it's too light and fluffy. The cookie becomes too airy.

Extra, pure vanilla extract is a must; two teaspoons is what I go with. And here's a big secret, a few pinches of cinnamon, approximately a quarter teaspoon, but I've never actually measured. The eggs can be added one at a time.

At this point, dry ingredients should be added, starting with the baking soda, which not only causes a rise in the cookie but also aids in the browning process. Your flour should be unbleached all-purpose and I prefer Trader Joe's over any other. At each step, make sure everything is mixed thoroughly before adding the next ingredient.

I can't stress the importance of a good mixer. My favorite is the Kitchen Aid brand. It will save you tons of labor and has many functions, cookie making being just one. The basic model has three mixing tools and will get you started on years and years of baking as it will last a lifetime.

Now the star of this cookie is, after all, the chocolate chip itself. Don't cheap out on this main ingredient, I only use Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao bittersweet chips. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your cookie. Your chips should be hand mixed in so as not to break them.

Lastly, I mix in the salt by hand. One teaspoon of this is a key ingredient, it brings up and out all the flavors and raises that cookie to the awesome level. This is especially important since we use unsalted butter. For baking I use professional quality sheet pans, no pan coating should be needed, just a good spatula.

Two things to keep in mind as you slide your cookies into the oven:

• under-set your timer and check those cookies regularly
• rotate the sheet pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking

The edges should be browned, the center slightly under set, as it will finish baking when you leave the cookies on the pan for one minute after taking them from the oven. Then, on to the cooling rack.

There you have it, a perfect chocolate chip cookie that your friends and family will rave about. Get used to being the person that everyone wants cookies from. Happy baking!!

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher
1 bag Ghirardelli chocolate chips (11.5 ounce)

2 sticks (half pound) unsalted room temperature butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs