Christmas Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Awww! The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies signals that the holidays have arrived. Are you searching for a special treat for your family and friends? Better yet, wrap a cookie in a neat little holiday envelope napkin as a delightful gift for them to take home after a festive event.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I have tried many different recipes for chocolate chip cookies, but this Thick & Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe by Becca Cousins is my favorite. It delivers the perfect flavor and texture. I prefer my cookies to be big, chunky, and chewy! I followed the recipe precisely when mixing. However, I added a special step to ensure the cookies remain big and chewy.

After mixing the dough, I shape it into golf ball-sized balls and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Removing them from the refrigerator 15 minutes before baking helps maintain their thickness. The overnight refrigeration prevents the cookies from flattening out and spreading too much, resulting in a thick, chunky, and chewy cookie.

You can make the balls larger than a golf ball. I have experimented with sizes ranging from 60 grams to 90 grams, with 90 grams being large bakery-style cookies. My boys love the large 90-gram cookies! The picture above shows a 60-gram ball. If you don't have a digital scale, just make the dough the size of a golf ball!

Importance of Exact Measurements

Exact measurements are crucial in baking. I highly recommend investing in a digital scale to measure flour and sugar accurately. A scale also comes in handy when rolling balls of dough, ensuring all cookies are of equal size for even cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, fridge cold, cut into 1/2" cubes

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar, not packed (200 grams)

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt

• 1 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour, measured by weight

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used Lily's dark chocolate chips)

• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

• Flaky sea salt, for topping

  
  

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Add the butter and sugars to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

2. Start the mixer on low speed until it begins to clump up, then increase to medium speed. Mix for five minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice. The mixture should lighten to a soft beige color as air is incorporated.

3. Scrape the bowl a third time, then add the egg yolks and vanilla. Mix on medium-high for about one minute, then scrape the bowl again.

4. Add the dry ingredients (fluff the flour with a whisk if you’re using a measuring cup instead of a food scale). Mix on low until almost no flour is visible, about 45 seconds. Stop the mixer and then add the chocolate chips.

5. Mix on low for about 30 seconds so that the dough picks up all of the flour from the bottom of the bowl.

6. Determine if you would like golf ball-sized cookies or larger. Roll balls into 60-90 gram weights depending on your size preference.

7. Place the balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, spaced apart for spreading. Refrigerate overnight.

8. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

9. Remove the cookie balls from the refrigerator 15 minutes before baking.

10. Bake for 10 minutes for 60-gram (golf ball-sized) cookies (makes about 20 cookies).

11. Bake for 12-14 minutes for 90-gram (between golf ball and baseball-sized) cookies (makes about 10-12 cookies).

12. Remove from the oven. The cookies should look soft in the middle, and they will continue to cook while cooling. For chewy cookies, do not over-mix the flour and do not overcook.

Place each cookie in a holiday napkin folded into an envelope.