tara o'brady's chocolate chip cookies (yossy arefi)

I wanted to title this post "Tara O'Brady's Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies" or "Tara's I need a chocolate chip cookie right now cookies" but both seemed a little wordy for a post title. l know that people are very specific/loyal/devoted to their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, and you may be thinking to yourself, does the world really need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? The answer is a resounding yes. These cookies are perfect: sweet, salty, generously studded with chocolate with crisp edges and chewy centers.

I have made and loved Ashley's chocolate chippers (from her blog and her mix) and the NY Times recipe is also great, but it calls for two types of flour and that's just too fussy for my everyday cookie needs. Tara's recipe is an amazing, I need a cookie right now, type of cookie. There is no softening of butter, or letting eggs come to room temp necessary. You do have to chop your own chocolate for best results, which to be honest, is one of my least favorite kitchen tasks, but it's worth it for these cookies. You don't have to age the dough for perfectly crisp/chewy cookies, although after the dough rests overnight they are even better. I was lucky enough to test this cookie recipe last year, and I have practically been sitting on my hands wanting to share it with you. Now that Tara's beautiful cookbook: Seven Spoons: My Favorite Recipes for Any and Every Day, is out in the world I finally can!

Basic, Great Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Seven Spoons by Tara O'Brady

makes about 28 cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, chopped

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

12 ounces, semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

flaky salt, to finish

Preheat the oven to 360°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over the lowest heat possible, stirring occasionally. Take care that the butter does not sizzle or bubble which means it's losing moisture.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugars until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just combined. Stir in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to stir in the dry ingredients until barely blended. When things are still looking a bit floury, stir in the chocolate until all of the ingredients are just combined.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 tablespoons each, and arrange them on the prepared pans, leaving 3 inches between each cookie. (At this point you can refrigerate the dough, loosely covered, overnight.)

To bake, sprinkle each cookie with a bit of sea salt and bake until the tops are cracked and lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, the move to a wire rack to cool completely.

It's time for another recipe don't you think? Thank you for all of your kind words about my shop. Keep checking back because I have some exciting announcements just around the bend, but for now let's talk cookies.

Rugelach are awesome for a lot of reasons, but my #1 favorite thing about them is that they taste like little bites of pie, and if you read the Dining Section of the NYTimes you know that pie is so hot right now. These cookies are made from a flaky cream cheese dough and can be filled with everything from apricot preserves and almonds to raspberry jam and chocolate chips, or any combo of dried fruit, nuts, and jam you have lying around. I'm a big fan of raspberry preserves with chopped walnuts and a bit of orange zest.

For this batch, I used some of my apple butter and upped the autumn ante and added dried cranberries and chopped pecans.

Dough
1 stick butter, cut into cubes
4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubish pieces
1 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until a ball forms. Alternately, mix 'em all together with your hands, just move quickly so the butter doesn't get melty.
Divide the dough in half, form 2 disks, wrap them in plastic and chill for 30 min.

Filling
1/4 cup apple butter (or any other jam)
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans (or any other nuts)
2T chopped, dried cranberries (or any other dried fruit or chocolate)

Topping
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup sugar+1T cinnamon, mixed together

To Assemble the cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll one disk into a skinny rectangle, about 4''x12''
Spread 1/2 of the apple butter onto the dough in a thin layer, then sprinkle half of the pecans and cranberries onto the surface. Roll the whole mess into a long, skinny log
Brush the log with the beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Cut the log into 1-1 1/2'' pieces and place seam side down onto a parchment lined baking sheet
Repeat with other dough disk
Bake the cookies for about 20min, or until golden brown, don't worry if they slump and ooze a bit. The caramelized jammy parts are my favorite.

This recipe makes 20-24 pieces and they'll last a few days at room temp in a sealed container.