Two cookies that look identical but differ in texture and definitely in flavor! I've been following Bon Appetit's and Joshua Weissman's YouTube channels for about 1.5 years and finally tried recipes from them. If you look below you can see which of these cookies I prefer, but honestly you can't to wrong with either! Above Joshua's recipe is on the left/top image, Chris' on the left/bottom image.
This article explores the renowned chocolate chip cookie recipe from Chris Morocco, a food director known for his meticulous approach to perfecting classic recipes. We'll also take a look at a comparison with Joshua Weissman's recipe. Chris Morocco spent months (truly) developing this chocolate chip cookie recipe-he made nearly 30 batches, plus 10 more in the cross-testing phase-to ensure they were the absolute best.
Left - Joshua Weissman; Right - Chris Morocco
What makes this recipe deliver on that promise? Crispy edges, a buttery chew, and plenty of chocolate chunks in every bite-all without a stand mixer.
The cookies are rooted in classic Toll House flavor, but browning the butter amps up the toasty notes and is key in developing the balance of crisp edges, while a high ratio of brown sugar to white sugar ensures chewy chocolate chip cookie centers.
Read also: Brownie Perfection with Chris Morocco
The Bon Appetit Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is still one of my all-time favorites. It was created by Chris Morocco who made batches upon batches to get the perfect texture of crispy edges and chewy centers with rich caramel, vanilla and butter flavor.
The cookies are soft, but not at all cakey, and they are dense but not doughy or corn-starchy. They are very much like the old Cook's Illustrated recipe, but a little more full-flavored. I just really love this recipe. And bonus! It doesn't require any creaming.
Chris Makes Chocolate Chip Cookies | From the Test Kitchen | Bon Appétit
The Key Ingredients and Their Impact
The amount of flour and the quality of the pure vanilla extract is important here; Chris recommends Heilala or Nielsen-Massey, which have enough heft to stand up to bitter dark chocolate. We highly recommend weighing your flour with a scale; if you don’t have one, use a spoon to scoop the flour into a measuring cup until overflowing, and a straight edge (such as the back of a butter knife) to level it off.
Since this recipe appears to be a riff on an old famous Cook's Illustrated recipe, I made it again and added back a step that CI originally used. The step is stirring the butter and sugar mixture, letting it stand for 3 minutes and repeating a couple of times before adding the flour. This is supposed to dissolve the brown sugar more.
Dissolved brown sugar means quicker caramelization. This is part of the reason dough that's been sitting in the refrigerator for a day or two browns better. Even with the stirring, BA's version is still too loose to shape right away.
Read also: The Story of Chris Hani Baragwanath
Contrary to what the original BA article says, it seems the dough does need some chill time.
Joshua Weissman (top), Chris Morocco (bottom)
Chris Morocco Recipe
Here's the full recipe from Chris Morocco:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (220 g)
- 3/4 tsp. table salt (1/2 tsp. for less salty)
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda (use 1/2 tsp. if cookies spread too much)
- 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter (170 g), divided
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar (210 g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
- 1 large egg (50-55 g)
- 2 large egg yolks (25-35 g)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 oz. (226 g) bittersweet/dark (60-70%) chocolate, coarsely chopped
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda together and set aside.
- Melt 8 Tbsp. butter on low-medium heat in a small saucepan until brown (~4 minutes), scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula constantly. When it browns it browns quickly.
- Then immediately take off the heat and pour into a bowl and mix in the rest of the butter.
- Add the sugars to the butter and whisk until no lumps remain.
- Add egg and egg yolks and whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold the ingredients into butter mixture just until no dry spots remain, then fold in chocolate.
- Scoop 10 ~2 Tbsp. sized dough balls onto each cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 10-14 minutes and let cool on the sheet pan. Makes 20 large cookies.
Joshua Weissman Recipe
Here's the full recipe from Joshua Weissman:
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (315 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 14 tablespoons salted butter (197 g)
- 2 eggs (100-110 g)
- 1 egg yolk (15-20 g)
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (250 g)
- 1/2 cup granulated white sugar (100 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 9 oz. (255 g) dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate (or combination), chips or chopped
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.
- Melt the butter and let cool at room temperature for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl combine the butter and sugars and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. One at a time, whisk in the two eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Then mix until thoroughly combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Carefully mix in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula, just until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate.
- Scoop 2 Tbsp. sized scoops onto the prepared baking trays. Bake for 10-13 minutes.
- Let them cool for 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet and then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- They should be chewy. Yields 32-40 cookies.
A Unique Twist: Toasted Sesame Oil
That’s where the toasted sesame oil came in-when you replace a tablespoon of the butter in an otherwise-standard chocolate chip cookie recipe with a tablespoon of pungent, nutty toasted sesame oil, the results are something special.
Read also: Chris Mubiru's football journey
The cookie had depth and nuance with a slight savoriness that was beautifully offset by the semi-sweet chocolate. The sesame flavor is present but in no way overwhelming, and I’d bet most people wouldn’t be able to pinpoint it. And the best part: using a liquid-at-room-temperature fat (oil), even if it’s just a bit, means the very edge of these cookies are extra lace-y and crisp.
The bowl you melt the butter in should be the same bowl you use to make the dough, and there’s no need to combine the dry ingredients separately-the salt and baking soda are mixed directly into the wet ingredients before adding the flour, ensuring they’re evenly dispersed.
I prefer to leave the sesame oil a secret and see if people notice, but if you’d like a visual cue, feel free to sprinkle some sesame seeds over the un-baked cookie dough portions or roll them in the seeds.
I’ve always kept a small bottle of sesame oil in the fridge for stir-fries and fried rice, and now it has another purpose-cookies.
Toasted Sesame Oil Recipe
- 7 Tbsp. (100g) unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp. (14g) toasted sesame oil
- ⅓ cup (67g) dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, cold
- ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste*
- ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 cup + 1 Tbsp. (135g) all-purpose flour
- 1, 4oz. bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- Toasted sesame seeds, optional, for topping
- Flaky sea salt, optional, for serving
Instead of Vanilla bean paste, use 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Instead of Semi-sweet chocolate, use milk chocolate
Directions:
- Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
- Melt butter in a large, microwave safe bowl until just-melted (a few bits of solid butter are ok). Add toasted sesame oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla bean paste and stir well with a rubber spatula to combine. Stir in kosher salt and baking soda to evenly distribute. Add flour and chocolate and mix until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, divide the dough into 14 even portions (if the dough doesn’t hold together, let it rest for 5-10 minutes). Transfer to 2 parchment lined baking trays, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Optionally, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Working with one baking sheet at a time, bake for 8-10 minutes or until browned around the edges. If desired, sprinkle over flaky salt.
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Cookies
Here are some valuable tips and tricks to ensure your cookies turn out perfectly every time:
- Dough Hydration: When you first mix the dough, it is soft and loose. Letting it sit for 5-10 minutes allows the flour to absorb the moisture so when scooped, it holds its shape.
- Chill the Dough: In my experience it sure does. It's so runny it's barely scoopable at first, but it firms up as it sets. And the cookies just taste so much better when made with chilled dough.
- Brown Butter: Brown 8 tablespoons (114 grams) of the butter in a large (3 ½ quart) saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, stirring with a heavy duty heat proof scraper until fully melted.
Variations to Explore
We understand cookie preferences aren’t uniform-some prefer soft cookies or a chewier finish. Others require a sprinkling of flaky sea salt on top. If your perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe includes nutty, crunchy bits, try our Anytime Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie recipe. Heightened caramelly crunch? Head off to these Brown-Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies With Toffee. If you’re gluten-free (and even if not), try this version with milk, dark, and white chocolate.
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