Kricket Cakes

I get a chocolate chip cookie craving at about 3pm every day… people who have witnessed the craving know that it can be bad! And not just any cookie will do! Unless an exceptional bakery is serving them up fresh, it has to be homemade!

I have been on a mission for a while to create the BEST chocolate chip cookie. Let me be the first to say that this is no easy task. To my fellow chocolate chip cookie lovers, I ask: how many chocolate chip cookies have you had that just aren’t that great? I’ve studied them for long enough now, that I can almost tell whether or not I’m going to like a chocolate chip cookie just by looking at it.

To me, the perfect one is chewy and thick with a slightly crunch on the outside and soft center. It is full of semi-sweet chocolate chips has and an occasional crunchy thing here and there (like maybe a nut). Oh, and I like my cookies to be big! I want one to be enough to satisfy the craving.

This recipe is pretty easy to make and the cookies keep well in the freezer. I like to prepare the dough the night before I bake the cookies so it has plenty of time to chill. Besides, I eat so much dough while making it that I’m good for the day’s craving. I keep the dough in the fridge for about two weeks so I can bake up a fresh mini-batch whenever I want.

Once again, I have Alton Brown to thank for guiding me to a base recipe that I have modified to meet my likes. Enjoy these special treats and be sure to save one for me!

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons whole milk or half and half
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand held mixer.
4. Slowly add the egg, yolk, milk and vanilla to the creamed mixture and beat until well combined.
5. Beat in the flour in 3 additions on low speed until well incorporated.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts by hand.
7. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, but longer is better.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. Form the dough into 2 inch sized balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
10. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
11. Remove cookie sheet from oven and wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Cookies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.