Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was growing up I like to make desserts. When I was really young that meant helping with making Jello pudding or boxed cake mixes. It didn't take long before I was making cookies. Dad's favorite was sugar cookies, either plain or with lemon extract. My favorite was chocolate chip cookies. We used the recipe right off the bag of chips, the one from the Toll House. There is a special place in my heart for whomever created that recipe and for the warm from the oven melty chocolate goodness of them.

I used to like them soft and almost gooey in the center, but now I prefer the dough part to be more crispy-crunchy.

For some reason I’ve been longing for a chocolate chip cookie lately. A crisp, buttery cookie with a generous dose of semisweet chocolate chips is so classic and delicious if made right. A glass of milk and one of these cookies is the perfect snack when you get that yen.

King Arthur Flour has a Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that meets that desire for a good chocolate chip cookie. There are two interesting ingredients in this recipe that you won’t find in the Toll House recipe: barley flour and apple cider vinegar.

Give these a try if you are looking for a cookie that is both light and crisp, thin but not too thin, and absolutely loaded with chocolate pieces. There were comments by those who had made them without the barley flour that it was fine to skip it, but try it with the barley flour first if you can find some. I suspect that the crispness and mellow flavor owe more than a little to that lovely barley flour.

Classic Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies
King Arthur Flour website Makes about 33 cookies

¼ cup (1/2 stick, 2 oz.) unsalted butter
½ cup vegetable oil
Note: I used a full stick of soft butter and ¼ cup safflower oil instead
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
3//4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole barley flour (If no barley flour available, substitute unbleached all-purpose flour)
1 cup whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat flour
2 2/3 cups (16 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line with parchment or a silicon baking mat) two baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil, sugars, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt until smooth.

Beat in the egg to combine. Beat in the baking soda and baking powder and as soon as they are beaten in add the barley flour and whole wheat flour, combine thoroughly, then add the chocolate chips. It looks like too many chips, but don’t worry.

Drop the dough, by tablespoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 15 – 17 minutes, until the cookies are an even golden brown, without any hint of softness in the center. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Eat cookies.