cookie #1

Editor's Note: This is the first instalment in my quest to make the best chocolate chip cookies. Please feel free to leave recipe suggestions or tips in the comments below. All related posts can be found by clicking the "in the kitchen" label on the right side of the page.

In an attempt to broaden my chocolate-chip-cookie-baking horizon, I Googled "best chocolate chip cookie recipe" ... I know, you're totally impressed with my ingenuity.

The first search result was the Best, Big Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (*Note: I used milk chocolate chips because I had them on hand, but I feel the recipe would've been better with the semi-sweet.)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. (*Note: I line mine with a silicone baking sheet and I love it.)

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. (*Note: I did not drop a 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie. I probably used half of that because I didn't want the cookies to be ginormous.)

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the edges are lightly toasted (*Note: I hate it when recipes are vague about cooking time. I know oven heat varies, but how do I know that my idea of "lightly toasted edges" is the same as any other baker's?).

Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

In general, this was your standard cookie recipe in terms of ingredients and prep. The only real issue I had was knowing when they were done to perfection. Each pan was in the oven for a different amount of time.

There are a few things that can really alter the structure of a cookie recipe. First, American flour and Canadian flour are not created equal. My Mum and Grammie always told me this, because I grew up on the border of the U.S. and we sometimes bought groceries in the neighbouring state. This can also affect your Googled recipe if it was intended for bakers from another country.

For each recipe of my ultimate chocolate chip cookie quest, I will ask anyone in chewing distance for their opinions and average ratings based on three criteria: taste, texture and overall deliciousness (read: is this the best cookie you've ever had?).

Best, Big Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Taste: 4 of 5 stars. These cookies are yummy. I wouldn't change a think. Husband prefers semi-sweet chocolate over the milk chocolate, but the rest of the cookie had a nice, light, buttery taste.

Texture: 2 of 5 stars. It was really hard to make these cookies turn out chewy and the ones that were soft only stayed that way for about a day. This recipe doesn't have a great shelf life.

Overall: 3 of 5 stars.

Grammie made a good point to me last weekend, when I made my first potato scallop. She said it takes several tries to get a recipe just right. So I may give these cookies another try to perfect them.

Have you tried this recipe? Any suggestions?