I updated this five-year-old recipe to streamline the process and make the instructions easier to follow. Even after five years, this is one of my absolute go-to cookie recipes. It never fails to impress. I love to serve these as dessert, even after a somewhat fancy meal.
Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
Course: Baking, Cookies, Dessert, VegetarianCuisine: American23
3¾u0022 diameter cookies45
minutes2
hours60
minutes3
hours45
minutesIngredients
1½ cups + 1 Tbs pastry flour
1 cups + 1 Tbs bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat (pastry) flour
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
¾-1 lb. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together flours, baking powder, and baking soda until well blended, about 30 seconds on low speed. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add butter and sugars to the mixer, and cream until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes on speed 6 (of 10), stopping once to scrape down the side of the bowl. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Add the vanilla to the bowl, but don’t mix. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, all at once, and mix on lowest speed just until incorporated, 45 seconds. Add chocolate; stir on lowest speed just long enough so that it’s well distributed, about 5 seconds.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly as you form the dough into a disk. Store the dough in the refrigerator for anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a bench cutter to cut off enough dough to fill a ¼-cup measure (between 2.2 and 2.3 oz of dough per cookie). Place it on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart, until the sheet is filled. (For me, that’s 8 cookies per sheet.) Bake until medium-brown, about 18 minutes. Wait until the baking sheet has cooled to the point that it’s pleasant to the touch before removing the cookies to cook fully on a rack.
Notes
- Substitutions: AP flour for the pastry and bread flours.
This recipe is modeled after Jacques Torres’ Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies. I bake a lot, and I’m pretty good at it – but even in that light, these cookies are so spectacular, that I can’t believe I can produce them in my humble home kitchen. No kidding. The texture is a perfect balance of crunchy and chewy. The salt balance is perfection. The chocolate is so perfectly blended with the cookie. They’re bakery-quality. If you found a cafe that served a cookie this good, you’d be raving about it.
Social Learning:
You’re going to need a stand mixer, and it’s going to have to be powerful. Don’t try to make these cookies with a handheld mixer and I actually think it might be impossible to mix this dough properly by hand.
Don’t bake these cookies in a convection oven. The chocolate will melt, creating sticky cookie bottoms, and the cookies will spread too far.
So yes, I actually weigh out the dough. I tare a 1-cup measure on the scale, slice chunks of dough off the disk with a bench scraper, and when I have the target weight, I dump the cup out on the cutting board, press the dough into a ¼-cup measure, knock it out back onto the cutting board, and transfer it to the cookie sheet. Yes, it’s a lot of work. Yes, it’s even obsessive, I guess. But this is how you get uniform, perfectly shaped cookies that bake up consistently and predictably.
Regarding the chocolate:
Splurge on the chocolate. It’s worth it in this case. A two-pound brick of Callebaut might have a shocking price tag, in which case a full batch of these chocolate chip cookies might be rather expensive to produce, and the chocolate might represent 70% of your cost. But it will also create at least 70%-worth of the experience. These cookies are meant to be extraordinary.
Bars of chocolate, like Lindt, will work – but bricks are best in terms of how the chocolate breaks up.
Do not use chocolate chips. To a large degree, the texture is what makes this cookie so successful, and that texture depends on coarsely chopped chocolate. Chopped chocolate discs work, but common chocolate chips do not, even if you chop them.
I prefer the lesser amount of chocolate. I think it’s the perfect balance. The greater amount is amazing, but a bit much for me.
You should “chop” the chocolate by see-sawing your way through it with a serrated knife. To get a coarse chop, try for something in between a 1/8″ and 1/4″ slices. You’ll actually be making a horrifying crumbly mess, but believe it or not, that’s perfect. Once you’re done, single out any particularly large pieces and chop them down to match the average size of the other chunks. Your chunks will wind up being more like rectangles than they are like spheres and that is what makes them different from chocolate chips. These rectangles are going to produce a cookie with chocolate striations. That is a critical difference between these and the rest of the world’s chocolate chip cookies. The chunks should be no larger then grape- or cherry-tomato sized. The mixer will quickly crush them down to something smaller.
Chopping chocolate in the manner I’ve just described will produce a significant amount of chocolate “dust” or “crumbs.” This dust will work itself into the dough so that the cookies will be studded with tiny particles of chocolate. This is another factor that sets this cookie apart. That said, don’t deliberately try to produce dust. You don’t want any more than you have to have.
Exceptional Chocolate Chip Cookies
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Jacques Torres did not promise me baked goods for life in exchange for this post, nor did he threaten to sue me if I didn’t take it down.
Keep up with us on Bloglovin’
My wife and I have made Jacques’ cookies before, and they’re fantasic. We both like the way you have elaborated on the directions.
Thanks, Peter!
I believe that avoiding high-fat foods, white flour, and white sugar is the first step to losing weight. Those foods can taste good, but they have very little comparative nutritional value, and you wind up eating many more calories than you need to get through the day. If you are constantly eating these foods, transitioning to whole grains and other complex carbohydrates will help you to have more energy, while taking in fewer calories. Thanks a lot 🙂 for your blog post.
Thanks a lot for thanking me for a post that is obviously the antithesis of your philosophy on eating.
I’m no nutritionist; nutrition is never what I post about, except in a very general way or perhaps as a stray comment. If you were to survey my site, you wouldn’t be able to produce a picture of my daily diet, which includes a high proportion of raw fruits and vegetables, a variety of proteins, and relies heavily on unprocessed foods. I don’t post about those foods because, since I’m not discussing nutrition, there’s not much new or interesting that can I tell you about the apple I ate today.
I wish I had been born in ancient Roman times, because to me, eating is, like most of life, a balance between countless factors: nutrition, pleasure, health, wealth, availability, etc. To Romans, virtue was a matter of having opposing things in balance. In our culture, it seems that virtue is about extremism, fanaticism, and uncompromising blind faith. In the end, people are what they are: there are those who live via compromise and those who live by fundamentalism, and there are those who hide behind them.
This is a wonderful response to the comment. I really appreciate it — particularly since the wisdom you’ve shared applies far more widely than to diet.
Thanks so much!
agree!
Well said, Jeff!
Thanks, Ron.
Well said, sir, well said. I’m cracking up at this thread!
Thanks, David.
Well, they’re certainly pretty cookies! I’m intrigued by the flours. I love chopped chocolate, and indeed it’s worth splurging on good chocolate.
Thanks, Mimi!
I probably saw these in the same MSL issue that you did. And they are magnificent.
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite, at least partly because of my association of them with childhood, baking with my mother, blizzards, and hot chocolate. I’m eager to try these. Your commentary is especially helpful, as always.
Thank you!
I love chocolate chips cookies !! I have to try these . Im sure are delicious !!!
They’re stellar.
They surely look very tempting with chocolate chunks. I need to start a batch soon!
😉
These are fantastic!
I’ve always been a Jacques Torres fan. Years ago I ran the cooking school at Sur La Table in Santa Monica, and he came to teach a class and do a book signing. He was a class act. My favorite part of his visit was that on the way from the airport, he asked our program director to stop ant In-N-Out. How great is that!? Okay, onto the recipe . . . I love these cookies! Looks like yours turned out perfectly. I could eat more than a dozen in a sitting. Thanks for reminding me about the cookies, Jacques, and when I met him. 🙂 ~Valentina
What an awesome story and a fantastic memory to cherish!
Wonderful answer and Im agree with you ! I cook and bake only for love and for these who love how I cook.
My daugther is vegan and is not
Easy sometimes .
And of course I love these cookies.
Thank you!
Oh, I love that Jacques Torres cookie recipe! Lots of excellent chocolate and leaving the dough to rest before you bake it are key. Your cookies look fantastic!
Thank you, Molly!
YESSSSSSS!!! First, I am intrigued by your use of bread flour in the dough! I never would have thought to do that, and I can totally see how that would make for an amazing cookie. And I am so with you on refrigerating that cookie dough, as well as taking the time (and spending the money) on good chocolate and chopping it yourself. (I’ll have to try Callebut! I love Belgium chocolate, but haven’t tried this brand yet!) Absolutely cannot wait to try your recipe Jeff, I’m craving these cookies as I write!
It’s really Jacques’ recipe, but I’m very happy to promote it!
A great cookie recipe and one I’ll be giving a try. I started chopping high-quality chocolate for my cookies after moving here as we don’t get American type chocolate chips. But, to my pleasure, I learned how much better a cookie is with chopped 60% Swedish chocolate. I love the three different flours, I’ve not tried that, but will soon.
The cake and bread flours were Jacques’ idea. I added the wheat. I really like the result.
As a chocoholic, these cookies are definitely right up my alley! Now I have to admit I’ve never actually made a cookie from scratch (unless you count biscotti, but they are really different thing). May be time to give it go… I have to say, though, from experience with bread making that your suggestion to add a bit of wheat flour is a really good one. It really does add a chewiness and a certain depth of flavor, without necessarily giving the product that “whole wheat” taste.
You hit the nail right on the head, Frank. They’re not Wheat cookies. They just have an interesting depth of flavor and texture. But enough about that. You’ve never made a cookie? That’s interesting!
Bread flour in a cookie recipe? Well, by golly, now I’ve seen it all. Seriously, though, if you say these are the best cookies you’ve ever baked, then you have my attention! I know you are an accomplished baker, so that carries some weight here. Also, I think you should start a business selling chocolate dust. Also (part two), I often confuse Jacques Torres with Jacques Cousteau. Too many Jacqueses.
Little known fact, they’re the same person. Did I fail to mention that these cookies were deep in an unexplored ocean trench?
Well if these cookies were found in a deep ocean trench, then they should be saltier. Just sayin’.
Hmm. Good point.
I love Jacques Torres’ recipe. The aging of the dough is positively magical! And this recipe intrigues me because it also includes whole wheat flour! I imagine it adds a nice flavor note, too! I totally agree on the chocolate, too – the best chocolate, chopped thin! Delicious recipe!
Thank you, Laura!
I’m not much of a baker, so I usually use simple recipes. This recipe looks amazing and your description has sold me. I’ll be saving this to give it a try!
I’m sure you’ll love it!
I like big gooey CC cookies and these fit the bill. GREG
Thanks, Greg!
I love making chocolate chip cookies, they are so easy and yummy!
I am loving all these tips. I have made a lot of cookies but I’m always in too much of a hurry to chill the dough. I also like the idea of chopping chocolate rather than chips -I will give that a go next time. And I love Callebaut, that’s the only chocolate I’ll use these days. Thanks for sharing, Jeff!
You’re welcome, Katerina!
This sounds like a new approach- making Chocolate Chip Cookies using coarsely chopped chocolate instead of chips! I have a huge bag of Callebaut milk chocolate I could use, but probably smi-sweet would be better. Am printing this recipe off so I can make these and getting my ‘stretchy pants’ ready!
You’ll need those stretchy pant! I love milk chocolate in cookies like this, by the way. Maybe a bit sweet.
Jeff, until this post, I have rarely been inspired to make chocolate chip cookies. Everyone says theirs is the best but you have actually explained why, and — more important — how yours are! From the ingredients — the combination of the three flours and the importance of the right chocolate (yes, good chocolate is worth every penny) to name a few — to the well written and detailed instructions, I am going to get the ingredients and make these this week. The chocolate will be the biggest hurdle, as I know Callebaut (nor Valrhona) is not available in Tucson. Finally, the thread that the no-sugar/no-fun person started is a hoot. I would have taken that for spam! Good on your for answering. Happy cooking this week!
Thanks, David. Not my recipe – Jacques is an amazing chef. I will take credit for the wheat flour, though. No Callebaut or Valrhona in Tucson?!?!
There’s nothing better than cookies, yours looks really delicious!!
Thank you!
You can’t beat good chocolate chip cookies can you? And as you’re saying these are “The best I’ve ever made”, I’m going to have to give this recipe a go myself just to see how good. Thanks Jeff!
I’m sure you’ll love them, Neil.
For you to state these are the best chocolate chip cookies you have ever made then they must be magnificent. Copied and pasted to cook on the weekend, thank you Jeff.
You’re welcome!
These do look good!!!! However, they do look quite dangerous. I’d probably eat a whole batch in one sitting.
I know what you mean!
These cookies look amazing. Love your use of bread flour in cookies.
Thank you!
Jeff, thanks so much for sharing your tips when making Chocolate Chip Cookies. I do love chopped a higher-end type chocolate. And now I’m craving these cookies. I will probably have to make these soon. Thanks so much for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Wow what an interesting recipe- never thought to make cookies and using different flours, but I am intrigued! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks! I think the flours work nicely.
Dear Jeff, a classic recipe – heard and read so much about these amazing sounding cookies – love your post and all your effort you put into it!
You’re welcome!
I am always happy to try the best chocolate chip cookie. Because to me they are all the best but some are much more best than others. I am guessing these fall in that category. Saving. For probably like tomorrow!
I like your way of thinking!
these look absolutely wonderful Jeff. I use Lindt 70% chocolate most of the time. it’s not too expensive, and certainly worth it. Well, I think it’s about $AU50 per kilo, so not cheap either…
I love Lindt chocolate, and because it’s in bar form, it will work beautifully in these cookies.
One of my most fav! I loved this recipe so so much! I will try this at home for sure as soon as possible! Thanks for sharing! Regards!
These are my husband’s favorite chocolate chip cookies! I think partially because I make them with 1/4 cup of cookie dough, but they’re also darn tasty! Glad you enjoy them, too!
🙂
Oh, chocolate chip cookies are truly the epitome of comfort food! There’s something magical about the combination of warm, gooey chocolate and soft, buttery dough.
Agreed!
I only have a convection over 🙁
Otherwise this recipe looks great.. love how you share the extra notes.
Oh! Hmm. And thanks!
Jeff, these do look exceptional.
Thank you, Gary!
Ok, you’ve convinced me, Jeff. Exceptional caught me eye, and I do love an exceptional cookie. I need to make a batch of these! I love Callebaut (although I don’t love the price tag), and the use of a bit of whole wheat flour in here is nothing short of genius. Do you ship??
Of course I’d send you a batch any day! Speaking of Callebaut, I’m finding it harder and harder to find locally. So, I ordered some from Amazon, and I didn’t like the look of it. I had serious bloom. It still tasted good, but…
Several years ago, I made a cookie for a celebrity chef in Toronto for a morning show. The cookie had spelt flour! I see you use whole wheat, it probably adds the same nuttiness that spelt did. I had completely forgotten about it. Now that we’re trying to avoid sugar and carbs, this recipe is definitely taunting me!
Yes! That is exactly why I like to add wheat flour to cookies like these. It adds flavor, and I feel it also improves texture. Good Lord, were you nervous making cookies for a celebrity chef?
One can never have too many really good chocolate chip recipes. Thanks
I guess not! You know, I wouldn’t’ve thought that … I would’ve thought that you’d eventually stumble onto “the one,” but there are so many, and they’re all so different.
I really appreciated your tip for weighing out the cookie dough for each cookie, this is such a brilliant way to ensure the cookies all bake evenly!
Thank you!
I read this post last week and came back today to print it! 🙂
Oh, I hope you like it!
You can’t have too many chocolate chip cookie recipes, can you? I love the combination of three flours! I’ve pinned to make these ASAP.
Thank you!