Willa Jean Chocolate Chip Cookies with Vanilla Milk by Kelly Fields
I spent every day for two and a half years figuring out what I thought it should be. For me, the best cookie is chewy, crispy, and crunchy, with ample chocolate in every bite.
MAKES ABOUT 24 COOKIES
People have very strong feelings about what a chocolate chip cookie should be. I spent every day for two and a half years figuring out what I thought it should be. Some cookies were just too thin, some were too cakey, and others were just, well, not good enough. For me, the best cookie is chewy, crispy, and crunchy, with ample chocolate in every bite. I start with two kinds of flour: low-protein pastry flour, which makes the cookie tender, and bread flour, which gives the cookie structure. We sell thousands of these cookies every week at Willa Jean, so I think I might be onto something.
I use a triple hit of Valrhona chocolate here: Guanaja (70% cacao), Caramélia (36%), and Dulcey (32%). Caramélia and Dulcey have pre- caramelized sugars that mimic the flavor of that brown sugar crust you get on a good cookie. Mass-produced chocolate chips are made to hold their shape (not melt) in the oven. That processing directly changes the flavor and mouthfeel of the chocolate. Valrhona isn’t processed that way, so the chocolate melts into doughs and batters just the right way, causing a caramelizing effect that is 100 percent irresistible.
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