Yield: 8-12 large cookies

If soft & chewy chocolate chip cookies are your desire, you need look no further for a recipe that’s sure to please. It took many experiments (of the most delightful type) to develop what, to  me, was the perfectly chewy, gooey chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, organic
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (NOTE: I used Merchant Spice Co.’s vanilla sugar.)
• 1 large egg
• 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of sea salt, finely ground
• 1½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 whole raw, white cacao beans, toasted and ground (optional, but an amazing addition)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean, ground

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Cut together with a pastry cutter the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is fully combined. Then beat in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is fluffy.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Next, add the dry ingredients, ¼ to ½ cup at a time, to the egg mixture and mix well, being sure to incorporate all of the flour into the wet ingredients.

Then add the chocolate chips and espresso powder and gently mix to distribute the ingredients evenly.

Prepare a cookie sheet by placing a piece of parchment paper on it, cut to fit. Using a 1-ounce scoop or a 2-tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in dollops about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles. There should be sufficient room on a standard size cookie sheet for about six to eight cookies at a time.

Transfer to the oven in batches and bake for approximately 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges. At 8 minutes, the cookies will still be soft in the middle; this is what causes the cookie to remain chewy, even after they cool. Cool the cookies on a rack.

 To Serve:

Enjoy with a tall glass of icy cold milk or a cup of dark, rich coffee.