3-Day Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bread Flour and Cake Flour

OK OK I know the title is a mouthful. There are probably more recipe versions of chocolate chip cookies out there in the digital universe than any other dessert or sweet. And here’s the deal. I like all kinds of chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes I’m in a crispy crunchy mood, but more often I yearn for a chocolate chip cookie that is chewy in the center and crisp on the edges.

The concept of “aging” the dough for 3 days is one that has been making the rounds for a while. The liquids in the batter (like the eggs) get absorbed by the dry ingredients in a way they do not after a short rest. Combined with the blend of high protein bread flour and low protein cake flour, the recipe’s formula produces a great textured cookie. If you do not over bake, and if you make them the right size (a bit large), they will be chewy in the middle, buttery crisp on the edges and have a great butterscotch-y taste.

Note that in the photo you can clearly see which cookies have extra chips added on top (to the left), and which one didn’t (the lone cookie on the right). It doesn’t take long to employ this food stylist trick and your cookies will be that much more eye-catching. (See body of recipe for more information).

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)

1 2/3 cups bread flour (8 1/2 ounces)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, such as kosher

2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably 60% cacao content, such as Ghirardelli. (Two, 10-ounce bags Ghirardelli chips are the perfect amount)

Extra coarse or kosher salt

Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.

Fit your stand mixer with a flat paddle mixer and beat butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice; beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla. Add about one-third of flour mixture and mix on low speed. Gradually add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips, reserving about 1/2 cup of them for later. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 36 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Drop by 1/4-cup fulls. You do not need to flatten the cookies. Take reserved chips and place a few here and there on each cookie. Sprinkle cookies with a tiny bit of additional salt.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until edges and tops have just begun to turn light golden brown. The middles should be soft. Slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely. Store for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container.