There’s no wrong way to make a chocolate chip cookie. Let’s get that part out of the way so that we don’t get into a whole big fight about whose cuisine reigns supreme. You put a chocolate chip cookie in front of me, I’ll eat it and be happy. That’s a lock.
That said, I have been monkeying around with chocolate chip cookie recipes for as long as I’ve been a homemaker (nearly 20 years!). Many years ago, I stumbled upon a copycat recipe for Chick fil-A’s chocolate chunk cookies that received a glowing reception from all of the cookie monsters in my house. CFA makes a truly bitchin’ chocolate chipper, so knocking off their recipe as is satisfying for my belly as it is for my sense of justice.
The specific recipe I got from the internet, and which I can no longer find, became one of my children’s favorites in short order. But because I’m a tinkerer, and because I REALLY like to bake cookies, I kept doctoring the recipe in hope of approaching even closer to perfection. And last night, I chanced upon a final extra ingredient that achieved it. My family now has its go-to chocolate chip cookie for the rest of time, and now I will share it with you. Let’s get after it.
INGREDIENTS
-1 stick butter, softened
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 glug molasses
-3/4 cup brown sugar (doesn’t matter which)
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp Maldon salt
-1½ cups flour
-3/4 cup oats
-1 cup good quality chocolate chips, like Guittard or Ghirardelli
-3/4 cup crushed corn flakes (the secret weapon)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the softened butter into a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat that butter until it’s creamy like frosting.
- Add the egg, vanilla, sugars, and molasses. Stir together with the hand mixer or by hand.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until you have a uniform dough.
- Stir in the oats until fully mixed.
- Stir in the chips until fully mixed.
- Stir in the corn flakes until fully mixed.
- Using your hands, grab a hunk of dough and form it into a ball a little bit bigger than a golf ball. Place the dough ball on the cookie sheet. Repeat until no more dough.
- Bake the cookies in the oven for 10–15 minutes. I’m using a broad timeline here because every oven has its own quirks and farts. Just stand by the oven and stare at that shit until you see the edges go brown and the middle of each cookie begin to set. I like to tap the cookies down with the back of a spatula toward the end.
- Take the cookies out to cool.
That’s it. Now it’s cookie time. By all means, share your own recipe tips below. NOM NOM NOM.
