Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book

jeff dessert, Giveaways, Recipes, Sweets

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These cookies were just featured in the New York Times! We’re so thrilled for Sarah and it just confirms what we already know about them, they are AWESOME!

You are on the right site, we are just taking a short break from baking bread to bring you one of our absolute favorite recipes from Sarah’s new book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book. You all know Sarah’s gorgeous work here on Breadin5, but you may not be as familiar with her baking website. Sarah has been working with us on the Breadin5 website and has been instrumental in our cookbook photoshoots as a food stylist. During our last marathon photo session she brought us cakes, cookies, scones and even pie she was testing for her own cookbook. When she brought in these chocolate chip cookies we took a moment out of the shoot to declare them the best cookies any of us had ever had. I do not say that lightly, considering I had a cookie company in college, have baked no fewer than 500 chocolate chip cookie recipes and have consumed even more. These are the best and now you have the recipe.

We are thrilled for Sarah and are so proud of her and this brilliant book! She and her publisher have graciously offered a copy of her book to a lucky winner of our GIVEAWAY. Just leave a note in our comments and we will select someone at random. It will make a great addition to your cookbooks or a lovely gift for someone on your list. All our normal contest rules apply. This contest is over.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book

makes 10 cookies

2 cups (284 g) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

½ pound (2 sticks; 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ cups (297 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup (50 g) packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons water

6 ounces (170 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bite-size pieces averaging ½ inch with some smaller and some larger

To bake the cookies:

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 Baking Sheets with aluminum foil, dull side up. (I used parchment paper, because I was desperate to make these and was out of foil. I found the results were excellent, but I would suggest doing it on foil, as Sarah suggests.) This helps create the crinkles in the cookies.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a Beater Blade, beat the butter on medium until creamy. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and water and mix on low to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add the chocolate and mix on low into the batter.

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Scoop the dough into 3½-ounce (100g) balls (a heaping ⅓ cup each). Place 4 balls an equal distance apart on a prepared pan and transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes before baking. After you put the first baking sheet in the oven, put the second one in the freezer.

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This step is essential for getting the crinkles on the edge.

Place the chilled baking sheet in the oven and bake 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center. Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack, so the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down (this will feel wrong, but trust me). After the cookies puff up again in 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan. Repeat a few more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie. Bake 16 to 18 minutes total, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are much lighter and not fully cooked.

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Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.

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NOTES: These cookies are rather large, but to get the edges to spread out and crinkle, they need to be on the big side. If you want to make the cookies smaller, you won’t get as many ridges on the outer layer, and your center won’t be quite as gooey. They will still be delicious, but not quite what I intended for you.

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If you skip freezing the cookies, they will spread too much on the pan and will not form the crinkly outer layer.

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I’ve made several recipes from Sarah’s book and they are now staples in my kitchen. It is a great book for both beginners and more advanced bakers. You’ll want to start with these cookies, but then quickly make her chocolate cake. I am known for my chocolate cake and I now use Sarah’s.

 

181 thoughts to “Chocolate Chip Cookies from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book”

  3. These cookies look amazing. I bake for and sell at two small town farmers markets and would love to win this cookbook and add new scrumptious baked goods to my tables.

    Reply

  9. Since discovering your amazing technique which has revolutionized my bread baking, I would welcome anything you suggest. The cookies sound great and I will try them at the first opportunity.

    Reply

  12. I PROMISE if I win Sarah’s book I will sprinkle goodies in her name throughout the land here on the central coast of California.
    Thanks

    Reply

  15. Gonna make these cookies with my son! We have two ‘artisan bead in 5’ books and make many things together. He is 12 and aspiring dessert blogger (napafoodkod.wordpress.com). We even adapted your sticky bun recipe on the blog (and gave you credit). Would love to get this cookie book!
    PS–actually have some pizza dough rising right now!

    Reply

    1. And in the worst mom marketing move ever i typed the url for his blog incorrectly. Any chance you can repost?

      Your comment is awaiting moderation.

      Gonna make these cookies with my son! We have two ‘artisan bead in 5’ books and make many things together. He is 12 and aspiring dessert blogger (napafoodkid.wordpress.com). We even adapted your sticky bun recipe on the blog (and gave you credit). Would love to get this cookie book!
      PS–actually have some pizza dough rising right now!

      Reply

  16. I have all of Zöe and Jeff’s cookbooks – how could a contributor to their website not also be great? Hope I win!

    Reply

  17. These look great! I’m so excited for a good chocolate chip recipe that makes 10 cookies because my family recipe makes 10 dozen! I never make them for my husband and myself because even a quarter recipe is too much, so I’all definitely be making these soon (: Thank you for the share!!

    Reply

  18. chocolate chip cookies are my favorite and these look great! and that’s a huge endorsement … sarah’s chocolate cake is now the one you make 🙂 I’d like to try it … and would love to add this book to my collection of cookbooks.

    Reply

  24. I’ll have to follow her blog. Thanks for alerting me to it. The cookies look delicious, so I expect the rest of book to be just as yummy!

    Reply

  25. I always bake cookies for my Airbnb guests arrival. I would love Sarah’s new book to bake some
    new cookie recipes! Our guests love the smell of fresh baked cookies and eating them!
    Can’t wait to try out Sarah’s recipe!

    Reply

  28. I was intrigued by the technique, so I got right to it. It’s labour intensive but kind of fun. And the batches got better with experience. And what a great taste to go with the unique contrast of the outer and inner cookie. (I never dreamed I’d be waiting the phrase “inner cookie” without being ironic!)
    These cookies are a keeper. Can’t wait to see the rest of the cookbook.

    Reply

  32. Chocolate cookies are a staple at out house and we can’t wait to try this new recipe!! Thank you for sharing!! It would be great to win the cookbook!!

    Reply

  39. The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe?!? Must try it today! And I’d love to win this cookbook too as I’m an avid follower or Sarah and her blog!

    Reply

  41. I’ve been eyeing those cookies ever since Sarah started sharing them on Instagram! Now that you’ve shared it here, I need to try them. And yeah, I need to try her chocolate cake too! I can never have enough chocolate chip cookie and chocolate cake recipes! YUM!

    Reply

  49. I’m a bit curious if a flat cookie of the same size would have the same texture, or if the wrinkles really change the texture/gooey vs. non gooey parts of the cookie.

    Reply

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