I make a lot of chocolate chip cookies and hands down my go-to recipe is the one for ATK chocolate chip cookies. These cookies from America’s Test Kitchen are easy to make, loaded with flavor, and they store well. I can actually make these ahead of time and I’m happy to eat them the next day. I’m really picky about my chocolate chip cookies, and some cookies just don’t hold up. You need to eat them right away. Now I’m not saying that you’ll be able to resist eating these right away, but at least you know that you don’t have to.
The Key to ATK Chocolate Chip Cookies
There are a couple of key differences with this ATK chocolate chip cookies recipe. First, it uses melted butter. And it’s not just about melting the butter, but it’s more about melting the butter to the point where it starts to caramelize. This gives the cookies added flavor, kind of a toffee-like flavor. I actually prefer to make this recipe without browning the butter. I still melt the butter, but I don’t brown butter on the stove as recommended.
The name for this recipe in the ATK The Perfect Cookie cookbook is the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. What else makes this the perfect recipe? Lots of vanilla. Most recipes typically use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, but the ATK chocolate chip cookies recipe uses 2 teaspoons. It also includes 1 teaspoon of salt and while I’m not a person who usually uses a lot of salt, it really is key to bringing out the flavor.
Another difference with this recipe is how you mix it. Rather than relying on your Kitchen Aid stand mixer, or electric hand mixer, this recipe is designed to be mixed by hand. Because the butter is melted, it mixes with the sugars so easily. So there’s no need to use a mixer because you don’t have to cream the butter and sugar together. When mixing the wet ingredients, there’s also a process of resting the cookie dough between mixing.
Why These are My Favorite CC Cookies
I make chocolate chip cookies at least once a week, and there’s a reason why the ATK chocolate chip cookies are my favorite. First, I love the process of making these cookies. I don’t have to worry about pulling butter out of the refrigerator ahead of time for it to soften and become room temperature. That means I can whip these up at a moment’s notice. It’s also fun to whisk the ingredients by hand. Don’t get me wrong, I love my electric mixers but sometimes it’s nice to go old school and do it by hand. It makes the whole process very cathartic.
These cookies are also my favorite because I love the crisp edges and chewy centers. To me this is the ideal combination for perfect chocolate chip cookies. And since I don’t brown the butter, it’s a really simple chocolate chip cookie recipe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still easy if you choose to brown the butter as recommended, but it is a step that takes a little bit longer. I melt the butter in the microwave, and it takes about a minute. I always start with 30 seconds and then go by 10-20 second intervals after that so that the butter doesn’t explode on me. Ever had that happen to you? Not fun.
I also love these cookies because they make yummy chocolate chip cookie dough. I know that I shouldn’t judge a recipe based on that, but the reality is that sometimes I am more in the mood for cookie dough rather than cookies. So, it’s important to me that the dough have good flavor. And just like the cookies themselves, this cookie dough is loaded with flavor.
And lastly, I like these ATK chocolate chip cookies because they freeze well. They store well too. I use a Ziploc bag and they’ll keep for a couple of days and still be chewy on the inside. I’m really picky and there aren’t many cookies that I think are good after a day or two. This cookie passes the test.
For freezing the cookies I recommend scooping the cookie dough onto a plate and freezing them until firm. Then transfer them to a freezer proof container and they’ll be good in your freezer for a couple of months. Then you can bake off cookies as needed.
How to Make ATK Chocolate Chip Cookies
Start by adding the brown sugar and granulated sugar to a medium bowl. I like to give it a quick stir with the whisk to break-up any sugar lumps, but I don’t worry about it too much because with the warm butter the sugar dissolves and gets rid of any lumps. Make sure you don’t put hot butter in the bowl though. Let it cool slightly so that it’s not too hot. If you follow the method of browning the butter and mixing it with some cold butter, you’ll have the perfect temperature and won’t have to let the butter cool down.
This recipe calls for one large egg and an extra egg yolk. This is another key difference compared to other recipes. Using two egg yolks adds richness to the cookies, without making them cakey.
After adding the eggs you’ll start the process of mixing and resting the dough. Stir for 30 seconds, then let the mixture rest for 3 minutes. You’ll repeat this process 3 times before adding the flour mixture.
Bake cookies one cookie sheet at a time in the middle position of your oven. This is the ideal setting for optimal, even baking for the cookies.
Tips for Making Chocolate Chip Cookies
One of the nice things about the ATK chocolate chip cookies recipe is that you’re mixing everything by hand. This eliminates one of the key issues with making cookies and that’s overmixing. Once you have the butter mixture complete, add the flour mixture and gently mix it all together. For this step you want to stop using the whisk and go with a wooden spoon, rubber spatula, or metal spoon.
Chill the dough. Most recipes benefit from chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes and I find that is true for this recipe. Because the recipe uses melted butter, if you bake the cookies without chilling the dough you get very flat cookies. They still taste delicious, but they won’t be the thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies you may be looking for.
Make sure you remove the cookies from the oven when they still look underbaked. I think this is probably the #1 mistake that new bakers make. If you wait until the middle of the cookie looks done, the cookies will be overcooked. And if you do happen to overbake them, remove them from the cookie sheet and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool. Typically, I remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring. This is why I love using parchment paper. I simply slide the whole sheet onto the countertop to let the cookies cool.
My Modified Recipe
The recipe below is for ATK chocolate chip cookies as written in their cookbook. And while I really do love this recipe, I do make a few modifications. The first modification I’ve already spoken about. I melt the butter, but I do not brown it. I prefer not to use browned butter because I don’t like the toffee and nutty aroma it produces. It really is yummy, but I still prefer a more traditional flavor.
I use light brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar. This is two-fold. First, because it’s what I stock in my pantry. Second, because it’s what I prefer. The dark brown sugar really accentuates the toffee flavor in the browned butter, so if that’s the flavor you want stick with dark brown sugar.
I preheat my oven to 350 degrees instead of 375. One of the big reasons for this is that I make smaller cookies than the recipe suggests. The recipe recommends using large dough balls to make BIG cookies. This helps give you the crisp edges and chewy center. But I like a smaller cookie, so I stick with my #40 cookie scoop to make smaller cookies and the lower oven temp is better for that.
Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Cookie Scoop
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 14 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 3/4 Cup Dark brown sugar
- 1/2 Cup Granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large Egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 1/4 Cup Chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)
- 3/4 Cup Walnuts or pecans (toasted and chopped) optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour and baking soda together in bowl and set aside.
- Melt 10 tablespoons of butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, swirling constantly, until butter has dark brown color and nutty aroma.
- Transfer browned butter to bowl and mix-in remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Whisk in brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt.
- Whisk in egg and yolk for 30 seconds until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Let mixture rest for 3 minutes
- Whisk for 30 seconds and let rest 3 minutes. Repeat this step 2 more times.
- Using spoon, or rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture just until combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if wanted).
- Roll 3 tablespoons of dough into a ball and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven when edges are just starting to turn color and center is still soft.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 16 cookies if using 3 tablespoons per cookie. This size gives you a cookie with perfectly crisp edges and a chewy center.
- Using 2 tablespoons per cookie yields 24+ cookies and you get a more uniform texture throughout the cookie.
- I recommend chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This is especially true if your dough seems thin and loose. The dough should get thicker as you go through the whisking and resting steps. But if your butter is too warm, or you are baking on a hot day, your dough may not get as thick and this is where chilling can help so that your cookies don’t turn out flat.
Recap of the ATK Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
This America’s Test Kitchen recipe takes the original recipe and pumps it up with more flavor, and the perfect texture. It’s a great recipe to use as a base for so many variations. I like to use semi sweet chocolate chips, but play around with different types of chocolate. I go through stages where I prefer darker chocolate like Guittard’s bittersweet. The larger chips make these cookies extra chocolatey, gooey, and yummy. I think you can see why this is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Related Articles: Curious to see how the ATK chocolate chip cookies stack up to the original Toll House recipe? Here’s the Original Toll House Cookie recipe and if you’re a fan of oatmeal cookies, here’s my classic Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe.
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