recipe | spelt chocolate chip cookies
the world's best chocolate chip cookies
adapted from america's test kitchen
1 c all purpose unbleached flour
3/4 c white spelt flour
1/2 t baking soda
14 T (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 c dark brown sugar, packed
1 t sea salt
2 t vanilla extract
1 large egg + one yolk, room temperature
1 1/4 c chocolate chips, chunks, or shavings in milk, semi sweet, or dark (i like guittard semi sweet!)
preheat oven to 375. line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside. in a large bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda, & salt.
melt 10 T of the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan. increase the heat slightly until the butter begins to sizzle and pop! carefully watch the butter, but do not stir, until it begins to take on a caramel brown color. it may start in one spot but be patient and wait, the rest will catch up! once the butter has all become brown and caramel-y, and smells fragrant and toasty, remove it from the heat and drop in the remaining 4 T, stirring until all melted together.
transfer to a large heatproof bowl (yup! even those burned looking bits at the bottom...scrape 'em good) and add the sugars and vanilla to the butter, using a silicone spatula to stir until incorporated. add the egg and yolk, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and shiny. let the mixture rest for a bit, then whisk again until it thickens slightly. repeat this process until the mixture is smooth, thick, and shiny like a caramel sauce.
add the flour mixture to the saucy mixture, stirring with a silicone spatula until the flour is fully incorporated and there are no dry spots left in the bowl. fold in the chocolate chips, making sure they are evenly dispersed throughout.
divide the dough by weight (go go gadget calculator!) -- or just use a large soup spoon -- into 16 even balls of dough. i find that rolling the dough into balls works best for baking, but you can keep it loosey goosey if you like ;)
place 8 dough balls on each baking sheet, leaving 2" of space between for spreading, and bake one sheet at a time for 10-14 minutes, or until the edges have just begun to turn golden and the center is soft and pale.
place entire baking sheet on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies directly onto the wire rack...if you can keep your grubby little fingers out of them for that long (i can't! i have burned my mouth on so many hot cookies!) eat all of them immediately and only share with people you really like.