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Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last time I gave you the first in the chocolate chip cookie recipes I’ve been testing for incorporating into the next Tea by the Sea mystery, Murder in a Tea Cup. This is the second one, and the one I preferred. It’s very soft and chewy. If you like a crunchier cookie, try Vicki's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I got this recipe from my good friend Donna Gilonna. Thanks Donna!

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 10 min

Yield: approx. 12 cookies

Ingredients
  • 8 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  2. Microwave butter until just barely melted. Should be almost entirely liquid.

  3. Using stand mixer or electric beater, beat butter with white and brown sugars until creamy. Add vanilla and the egg; beat on low until incorporated, 10-15 seconds (if you beat the egg too long the cookies will be stiff).

  4. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between “wet” dough and “dry” dough). Add the chocolate chips and incorporate with your hands.

  5. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for HUGE cookies) and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

  6. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. (DON’T OVERBAKE: this is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they’re not done yet. They’ll be pale and puffy),

  7. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so. They will sink down and turn into dense, buttery, soft cookies. They will stay soft for several days if kept in an airtight container. I also make double/triple batches to freeze (single batches don’t last long!).

Notes

Recipes for afternoon tea style scones and coconut cupcakes, as well as for tea scented bath salts, can be found in the first Tea by the Sea book, Tea and Treachery.