dorie's best (espresso) chocolate chip cookies :: taste-test 1

dorie greenspan's my best chocolate chip cookies
from baking from my home to yours

{ingredients}:
.: 2 cups all-purpose flour
.: 1 tsp. salt
.: 3/4 tsp. baking soda
.: 2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
.: 1 cup sugar (i used 3/4 cup)
.: 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
.: 2 tsp. vanilla extract
.: 2 large eggs
.: 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
.: 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
.: 1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder (variation; optional)

{directions}:

1. preheat oven to 375 F.  line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

2. in a medium bowl combine flour, salt & baking soda. mix well w/ wire whisk & set aside.

3. in a large bowl w/ electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well-blended. beat in the vanilla, then add the instant espresso powder. add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in.

4. on low speed, add the flour (dry) mixture in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. 

5. drop by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. bake the cookies - one sheet at a time and rotating the sheet at the midway point - for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are brown at the edges and golden in the center; they might still be soft in the middle, and that's just fine. pull the sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 1 minute, then carefully, using a wide metal spatula, transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature.

when it comes to cookies, my all time favorite is the chocolate chip cookie and i'm in the quest to find the perfect ccc recipe which i can rely on & repeatedly make. i've tried a few good ccc recipes before such as the famous toll house's ccc, david lebovitz's great ccc  and also tested the ny times best ccc. they were all delicious cookies but i do think there are still some more great or yet the next best ones out there. now back to square one, i'm at it again and my to make ccc list is growing because there are many so-called best chocolate chip cookies recipes online. this week's ccc taste-test is a recipe from dorie's greenspan baking from my home to yours. i wanted a slightly different variation in a ccc this time and added espresso powder for an extra kick. however, i can't really taste the espresso flavor in the cookie and the taste/texture reminded me of the toll house's ccc. overall, it's a good ordinary ccc but not too overly crazy about it, my search continues...