I am a firm believer that a chocolate chip cookie is the best dessert. This means that my goal in life (yes, this is arguably a sad life goal) is to develop the best chocolate chip cookie recipe...ever. The cookie must be thick, chewy in the center, and slightly crunchy on the outside. Good chocolate also makes any cookie exponentially better. Valrhona is fantastic but can get pricey and can be difficult to find. E. Guittard is a great grocery store substitute but I am partial to Ghiradelli. It is a great grocery store brand that is priced well and tastes delicious...that, and I may be biased because they awarded me a ribbon for one of my cookie sandwiches at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010 [insert reader's gasp]. If you are not from Minnesota you may not be able to fully understand the magnitude of this achievement...

The winning cookies

I was on the local news!

Luckily, someone else, i.e. NY Times and Jacques Torres, already did all of the work for me. This recipe is perfect:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Jacques Torres & NY Times, 2008

Make the cookies: Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

Cream butter and sugars together until very light. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add chocolate and incorporate without breaking pieces. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Using a size 50 scoop (1 1/4 tbsp), scoop the dough onto a silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9.5 minutes. They will look undercooked but will harden while cooling.

8 1/2 ounces cake flour
8 1/2 ounces bread flour (I use King Arthur All Purpose Flour)
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
10 ounces light brown sugar
8 ounces granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
13 ounces bittersweet chocolate