I made the Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe aka NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Are they the best cookie? I actually think they might be. Fussy and time consuming, but 100% worth it!
These cookies are incredible but these are still my favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Can you believe after all the years I’ve been baking cookies I have never once fallen victim to the hype of the famous (or infamous) Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? It was just one of those cookie recipes that was annoying to me in SO many ways. Two types of flour? Annoying. Multiple days of chill time? Eye roll. Special chocolate? Pretentioussssss. Yet here I am. Fully admitting that I was wrong. I mean, the NY Times declared it the best…so it was definitely worth a go!
What Changed My Mind?
Here’s the deal. When I did my Best Online Bakery Challenge a few weeks ago, Jacques Torres was one of the cookies we ordered. Friends, they were BAD. Totally stale. They had clearly been sitting on the shelf for at least a week before they even shipped out. BUT, I knew they had crazy potential. The chocolate ratio, the perfect size and thickness…I could tell that if these cookies were fresh, they would have been contenders. But they weren’t, and that challenge was all about what to buy online.
Anyhow, I knew I had to finally try the dang recipe. So I did. And then I did again. And then again 2 more times. Because people, they are good. Also, I wanted to test some shortcut options to give you. Unfortunately, I really have none. You need to follow it as-is. I’ll tell you why.
Why Two Types of Flour?
The Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for 2 types of flour. This was the biggest hump for me. I was like COME ON NOW.
You use a combo of bread flour and cake flour. The difference in these is the protein content which is what is related to the amount of gluten that is formed. For example, bread flour has 14-16% protein, and cake flour has 7-8%. To create a dense, chewy bread, you will use bread flour, because as the dough is kneaded the amount of gluten that is formed creates the texture. And likewise, with a cake, you use cake flour because it has a lower protein amount, also you mix it much less to produce less gluten, giving it an airy, soft texture.
My point is, all purpose flour has 10-12% protein…so I thought why go to all the trouble of using these two flours when I could use all purpose and it’s basically right there in the middle. Makes sense, right?
Well, when I made the cookies for the first time I followed it to a “t”. The second time I started experimenting. Out went the bread and cake flour, and in went the all purpose. Were the cookies bad? No. Were they as good as the bread/cake flour combo? No. The texture with the all purpose produced a good, fairly typical cookie. The combo of the two gave the edges a chewy texture, with the center still soft and gooey. I don’t know the science and magic behind it, but it’s definitely worth the trouble.
Second, I tried them without chilling. Again, were they bad? No. Were they AS good as the chilled dough? No. The flavor in the chilled cookies was noticeably richer, because as the dough chills, it dries out slightly concentrating the flavor, and giving you crispier, chewier edges. Also chilling the dough gives the gluten in the dough a chance to relax, again, adding to the crispier texture of the edges. And the color deepens as well, so you have a beautiful deep colored cookie, as opposed to a pale one.
One slight change I made to the recipe (and think is an improvement) is using chopped dark chocolate instead of chunks or disks. The difference in taste is only slight, but I preferred the look of the chopped chocolate cookie. The chopped chocolate cookie (which is what is photographed here) is just pretttttyyyy.
What Kinds of Sugar to Use
The slightly unusual measurements of the sugars was kind of silly to me, to be honest. I mean, 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar? So, I tried it with just a cup for simplicity. Did it make an enormous difference? Again, no. But that extra 2 tablespoons, I guess just adds to the magic. The more sugar in a cookie recipe adds to the spread, browning, and crispiness of the edge. So go the extra mile and measure out the two tablespoons.
Salted or Unsalted Butter?
Also unsalted butter…I am a huge baking no-no in many ways, and using salted butter is one of them. I pretty much always use salted. Sue me. BUT I did try the unsalted in the recipe with the salt that was listed in the original recipe and added the flaked salt on top, as stated. I didn’t notice too much of a difference when I used salted on another batch and omitted the additional salt in the original recipe (but still sprinkled sea salt on top), so I don’t think this is a huge issue.
So I guess my takeaway on this chocolate chip cookie recipe is DEFINITELY try them. Measure the flour properly with the spoon and sweep method. Don’t pack your flour today or EVER. Also, use your food scale to measure the cookie weight. And buy the dang bread & cake flour.
They aren’t an everyday recipe in a pinch, but they are absolutely the cookie you make when you’re looking to impress.
xo
Print
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 20 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
I made the Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe aka NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookie. Are they the best chocolate chip cookie? I actually think they might be. Fussy and time consuming, but 100% worth it!
Ingredients
- 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 ½ ounces) cake flour
- 1 2/3 cups bread flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature (I used salted)
- 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ pounds chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate chunks or disks
- flaked sea salt to sprinkle
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together (or whisk) the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment mix the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time until mixed, and then vanilla. Continue mixing for an additional minute, scraping the sides as necessary.
- Turn mixer to low and add in the flour mixture, until just combined. Fold in the chocolate until evenly incorporated. Cover and chill dough for 24-72 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Allow the chilled dough to sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking to soften slightly. Scoop out 3.5 ounces of dough for each cookie, using a large cookie scoop. This is approximately 1/4 cup. Place mounds onto your baking sheet, spacing them 3- inches apart.
- Bake cookies for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are golden. Turn your baking sheet 180- degrees once, halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Instead of chilling the dough in a large bowl, you can scoop and measure your dough right away and chill it in prepared mounds on a large baking sheet until ready to bake. Baking chilled dough produces a slightly thicker cookie than room temperature dough.
Store airtight for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cookie
- Calories: 222
- Sugar: 9.6 g
- Sodium: 91.4 mg
- Fat: 12.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.7 g
- Protein: 2.7 g
- Cholesterol: 49.1 mg
Good morning Shelly, i was reading your tip about the importance of using a cookie scoop and i completely agree. My problem is I can’t find a reliable cookie scoop. They are either a complete fail or too much dough stays in the scoop. Could you share which is your favorite scoop and possibly where to purchase it?
I have had great luck with this cookie scoop: https://amzn.to/2RCQ3tH
Bought it back in 2018 and it’s still going strong. And I use it ALL the time!
Pampered Chef has the best scoops! I’ve had mine for going on ten years!
I made these yesterday. Amazing – rank among the best chocolate chip cookies I ever made. I started off by weighing the mixture to form 3.5 ounce balls. I then put them on the tray, pushed them down slightly to flatten the bottoms and then and flattened the tops slightly. Came out perfectly. Every oven is different – in mine the cookies needed 16 minutes.
So glad you liked them and thanks for your feedback!
Shelley. I saw the recipe for your chocolate chip smore cookies. However no recipe for the actual chocolate chips cookie. I tried to look this up on your site but need help finding which one.
I have a few recipes for Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookies cookies on my site…a Stuffed S’mores cookie, a Deep Dish S’mores cookie, and a Dirty S’mores Cookie.
I also have a more standard S’mores Cookie recipe in my book… so I’m not sure which recipe you saw, but I have a few! The ones on my site can be found by using the search bar!
Shelley. I saw the recipe for your smore cookies. Looks delish but you never gave the recipe for the actual chocolate chip cookies. I tried to look up but couldn’t find which one. Help
Why use bread flour (high gluten content) and cake flour (low gluten content) when one neutralizes the other. Try using all purpose flour and you’ll get the same result at a much cheaper price.
Not the case..we are not doing a pH experiment. They dont neutralize each other. Its not as simple as averaging the protein content of the flours…
The high gluten content provides extra chew and structure, the cake flour provides tenderness. Test it for yourself. It DOES make a difference. Im pretty sure most people trust would trust a world reknowned chef, Jaques Torres opinion over your oversimplified, I cant be bothered using two types of flour, opinion. I guarantee you are the person that tweaks a recipe the first time making it and then complaints that it didnt turn out right. “I followed the recipe to the T”…
Who needs a tunnel of love when you have a tunnel of fudge! This looks fantastic!!
I’ve made these cookies several times and they don’t flatten out like yours do, they stay much higher. I’ve recently started a mission to find/create the best chocolate chip cookie recipe since these didn’t work for me. I wonder what I’m doing wrong? I follow the recipe to a t, use a digital scale to measure, chill for 2 days, and somehow they are disappointing. Thoughts?
I tried the cookies from the Grand Central store and was underwhelmed. They were definitely stale.
Why did you give them such a high rating then?
Same. Mine didn’t flatten out and become crispy like JT’s. I used to go to the store on the upper west side for the cookies and these are just not the same. They turned out more like Levain – large crispy on the outside and doughy and thick in the middle. Still delicious, just different. At least there’s a Ground Central cafe right down the street on Long Island now where I can get these fresh every day! I still give these a great rating because these are quite delicious. The texture was great. One of the best cookies I’ve made!
Just try the Trader Joe’s semisweet pieces…magnificent flavor and the perfect texture…shards and all!!!
Is “cake flour” the same as all purpose flour? Or is it a cake mix?
No it’s no the same as all purpose, and it’s not a cake mix. Cake flour is finely milled flour with a lo protein content which produces a tender crumb. You can find it at any supermarket or here: https://amzn.to/2LVIsUr
You can also use all purpose in its place if you can’t find it.
Hi Shelly thanks for this recipe. My cookies turned out very beautiful and amazing!! Thanks so much!!! My son had to take them today for his class, and he helped make all of it. It was fun and he and my daughter loved them.??
Love hearing this!!
Cake flour is a type of flour all to itself. Nothing compares to it. Just buy cake flour. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but will try soon.
FYI the extra two tablespoons of sugar and the subtracted tablespoons of flour come from conversion. Europeans use the metric system and when we convert recipes grams don’t go into cups evenly, so you’ll often find those funky measures on recipes that are originally from across the pond, which I think is the case here as Mr. Torres is French.