Ultimate One-Bowl Chocolate Chip (or Chunk) Cookies
Author: Nancy Baggett
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Scant ½ teaspoon salt
  • Generous ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus more if needed
  • 1 ½ to 2 cups (up to 11 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate morsels or substitute 1 ½ to 2 cups chopped (1/8- to ¼-inch pieces) semi-sweet or bittersweet (50 to 65 percent cacao) chocolate bars, disks or pistoles
Instructions
  1. Baking Preliminaries: Position a rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease two large baking sheets or coat with nonstick spray; or line them with baking parchment.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl with the microwave on 50 percent power, melt the butter just until not quite fully melted or runny, stopping and stirring at 30 second intervals. Stop before it melts completely. (Alternatively, in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, heat the butter, stirring, until mostly melted. Remove from the heat.) Stir until the butter is lump-free and barely warm.
  3. Vigorously stir the brown and granulated sugars into the butter, mashing out any lumps with the back of the spoon and stirring until well blended. Vigorously stir in the egg, vanilla, salt, and baking soda until the mixture is well blended and smooth. Stir in the flour just until evenly
  4. incorporated. Lightly fold in the chocolate morsels or chunks; excess stirring may cause them to melt. If the dough is very soft, stir in up to 1 tablespoon more flour to stiffen it slightly. On a sheet of wax paper with greased hands divide the dough into quarters. Then shape each portion into 6 or 7 balls, spacing about 2½ inches apart on the baking sheets. Pat down the tops just slightly.
  5. Bake (middle rack) one sheet at a time until the cookies are lightly tinged with brown and are not quite firm when pressed in the middle, about 10 to 13 minutes. Let stand until they firm up just slightly, about 2 minutes. Using a wide spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Cool completely. Cool the baking sheets between batches or the cookies may spread too much. Yield: Makes about 30 2½- to 3-inch cookies. Storage: Store airtight for up to 1 week. Or freeze airtight, for up to 3 weeks.
Recipe by KitchenLane at http://kitchenlane.com/2012/10/ultimate-one-bowl-chocolate-chip-or.html