My recent summer road trip to Massachusetts was especially great because my husband had never been there. One of our best days was our drive through Cape Cod to enjoy beaches and lighthouses. We didn’t have lodging, so it was a daring adventure during peak season. What were we thinking? But my husband has a lucky charm over his head, so we felt confident. We found a small cabin in Truro with a tiny kitchen, but it was ON THE BEACH and we felt we had died and gone to heaven.
It was late, so we decided to cook dinner and roamed the general store for inspiration, finding linguica, spaghetti, jarred red sauce and farm-fresh veggies. With sparse utensils and dishes, we ate the spaghetti right out of a huge stainless steel bowl, with two forks, and still talk fondly about that delicious meal!
While rummaging around the store we also found a cellophane package of chocolate chip cookies labeled “Tate’s.” They looked thin, crispy, buttery, and filled with chocolate bits and nuts. After seeing one of the most glorious sunsets we’d ever seen, we broke open that package. The perfect cookie. That’s all I can say.
I tried to replicate it at home, using many inspiration recipes. My final try was an adaptation of chef Dave Lieberman’s recipe (from The Great Book of Chocolate), and it’s a winner. I could go into all the science behind the best chocolate chip cookie, but that’s another post. Bottom line: more fat + less liquid + lower temperature = a crispy, thin cookie.
How can you make them better? Add dried cherries. A buttery, crunchy cookie with dark chocolate AND cherries makes them healthy, right?
- ½ c. granulated sugar
- ½ c. light brown sugar, packed
- 8 Tb. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1¼ c. all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 c. toasted almonds or pecans, minced
- ¾ c. dark chocolate morsels
- ¾ c. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- ⅔ c. chopped, dried cherries (optional - if using, use only ¾ c. nuts)
- Adjust oven rack to the top third level.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Toast nuts over low heat in a non-stick pan. When fragrant, transfer to a cutting board & mince.
- In a stand up mixer, beat sugars and butter until very smooth.
- Add egg, vanilla and baking soda and mix on low speed 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly add flour & salt and mix on low until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate and nuts and mix, by hand.
- Form dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place on the parchment paper (8 per sheet works, about 4" apart, giving them room to spread).
- Bake about 18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, cool 1-2 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Repeat!
