Chef Gigi Gaggero

I’m excited to share my best chocolate chip cookie recipe today. This recipe has been honed and perfected over the years as I continuously strive to create the most delicious chocolate chip cookie you’ve ever tasted. It has been a journey filled with experimentation, learning, and satisfaction. Using browned butter and a slow chilling process alongside a Japanese culinary technique called Tangzhong, similar to a French Roux, will keep the centers of the cookies remarkably chewy and has been a game-changer in achieving the perfect texture and taste. Not to mention switching out the AP flour to bread flour allows me to work the dough longer but because its a cookie dough the gluten strand won’t fully develop like it would if I was making bread dough and mixing long. mind- bending stuff I’m tellin’ ya!

You’ll Need:

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon of fine-grain salt

16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1″ pieces

1/2 cup milk, whole preferred

2 3/4 cups unbleached bread flour divided

Two large eggs, cold from the refrigerator

One tablespoon of good-quality Vanilla Extract

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks

Here’s How:

Step 1: Combine the brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. 

Step 2:  In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat, swirling the pan regularly, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it’s a dark golden brown color and brown bits start collecting at the bottom of the pan; and a layer of foam on the surface. Once the butter is browned, immediately pour it over the brown sugar mixture, including the delicious brown bit of milk solids, at the bottom of the pan— and whisk until combined, yet lumpy.

Step 3: In the same saucepan used to brown the butter, combine the milk with three tablespoons of the bread flour and whisk until no lumps remain, similar to making a roux in a traditional gravy recipe. Place the saucepan over deficient heat and cook the mixture, stirring regularly with a whisk and then a flexible spatula, until it’s condensed, paste-like, and starts to come together into one mass, roughly 2 to 3 minutes. 

Step 4: Transfer the Tangzhong directly to the bowl with the brown butter and sugar. Whisk until mainly smooth; cool, add the eggs and vanilla, and continue whisking until smooth. 

Step 5: Measure the remaining 2 1/2 cups plus one tablespoon of bread flour. Add the bread flour to the bowl with the butter and sugar, then add the baking powder and baking soda. Using a whisk or flexible spatula, stir until well combined and no dry spots remain. Place the uncovered bowl in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Step 6: While the butter is cooling, use a serrated knife to roughly chop semi-large coarse pieces so they don’t melt into the dough. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and fold in the chopped chocolate. Cover the bowl and return to the fridge overnight, up to two days, and the flavors will intensify.

Final Step: Preheat the oven to 350’F degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes to scoop it easily. Scoop the dough into a 2.25-inch diameter for the perfect portion; a leveled ice cream scooper is the ideal portion here.

Arrange the raw cookie dough on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 3 to 4 inches apart. Bake until the edges set and the cookies are golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through baking to ensure even browning. I only bake a sheet on the middle rack at home to ensure the perfect bake. Crazy, I know!