I’m not one to give in easily to recipes with the words “World’s Best” or “Ultimate” in their titles (especially when it comes to chocolate chip cookie recipes). Whether it’s soft, chewy, crispy or a combination; everybody has their own interpretation of what they think is best. Last summer, the New York Times set off a foodie frenzy with their article “The Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie”. It seemed that every food blogger out there had to try it and see if, indeed, the perfect recipe had been discovered. I know that I succumbed to the hype and tried it, but I didn’t bother writing about it. Was the recipe good? Yes, but was it perfect? Well, that of course depends on what your idea is of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. For me, the best recipe I’ve found to satisfy all of my chocolate chip cookie fantasies comes from Cook’s Illustrated (find it here). It has the perfect amount of sweetness with its chocolate chip–to–dough–ratio and texturally speaking, it’s ideal (at least by my standards). The texture isn’t easily achieved, though, as it is the result of a fussy dough–forming technique. But it really does produce professional looking (and tasting) results.

You’d think, since I’ve already found a recipe that suits all my cookie needs, I wouldn’t bother trying any others. But I couldn’t resist giving just one more recipe a try. Food Gal was nice enough to post about one of my favorite chefs and his new book, Ad Hoc at Home, which won’t be released until November. Thomas Keller is the genius behind many of our beloved restaurants in Napa Valley, so who was I to ignore his version of what he calls “arguably the best cookie ever”? I know. There’s that word again. But still, I was immediately attracted to the recipe for its simplicity and use of two different cacao percentages. Obviously, chocolate is meant to be the sole star of these cookies. The noticeable omission of vanilla supposedly allows truer chocolate flavor to shine through (and did it ever!). I thought the cookies tasted best fresh and warm from the oven, when the melted chocolate clung to my tongue like silk. I could really taste the two distinct chocolates. However, the next day the flavors became one and the cookie’s overall taste and texture wasn’t distinguishable from that of any other chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever eaten. I also think the recipe would benefit from more salt. I’m one who likes the contrasting flavors of salty–sweet. I did try, as specified in the recipe, to strain out the bits of chocolate “dust” for the desired cleaner cookie look, but you’ll still notice some showing in my photos. I wouldn’t waste my time (or the chocolate) doing that again.

So, why did I choose to post about this recipe in Trader Joe’s Tuesday? All of the ingredients are available at TJ’s (except for molasses sugar, for which I substituted regular dark brown sugar anyway). Also, TJ’s has a great selection of different types of chocolate. To satisfy the specified cacao percentages, I bought two bars of Trader Joe’s brand Swiss Dark Chocolate (71%) and two bars of Valrhona brand Le Noir Cacao (56%). Only a bar–and–a–half was needed of each. So, if you’re still looking for that perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, this just might be the one. Or if you’re like me, you’ll be happy with the one you already have.

WI wine recommendation: Pairing wine and chocolate can be tricky. Read our earlier article, Wine & Chocolate, for some sound advice on this topic.
 

 
Chocolate Chip Cookies (by Thomas Keller)
(From Ad Hoc Cooking at Home)
 
Chocolate Chip Cookies
 
Baker’s Note: I got about 18 more cookies than he says even though I used the same measurements. I was also able to bake 12 on a sheet versus the recommended 8 with no problems.

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